We present an experimental analysis of force noise caused by stray electrostatic fields acting on a charged test mass inside a conducting enclosure, a key problem for precise gravitational experiments. Measurement of the average field that couples to
test mass charge, and its fluctuations, is performed with two independent torsion pendulum techniques, including direct measurement of the forces caused by a change in electrostatic charge. We analyze the problem with an improved electrostatic model that, coupled with the experimental data, also indicates how to correctly measure and null the stray field that interacts with test mass charge. Our measurements allow a conservative upper limit on acceleration noise, of 2 fm/s$^2$rthz for frequencies above 0.1 mHz, for the interaction between stray fields and charge in the LISA gravitational wave mission.
We present a simple analysis of the force noise associated with the mechanical damping of the motion of a test body surrounded by a large volume of rarefied gas. The calculation is performed considering the momentum imparted by inelastic collisions a
gainst the sides of a cubic test mass, and for other geometries for which the force noise could be an experimental limitation. In addition to arriving at an accurated estimate, by two alternative methods, we discuss the limits of the applicability of this analysis to realistic experimental configurations in which a test body is surrounded by residual gas inside an enclosure that is only slightly larger than the test body itself.
The low frequency sensitivity of space-borne gravitational wave observatories will depend critically on the geodetic purity of the trajectories of orbiting test masses. Fluctuations in the temperature difference across the enclosure surrounding the f
ree-falling test mass can produce noisy forces through several processes, including the radiometric effect, radiation pressure, and outgassing. We present here a detailed experimental investigation of thermal gradient-induced forces for the LISA gravitational wave mission and the LISA Pathfinder, employing high resolution torsion pendulum measurements of the torque on a LISA-like test mass suspended inside a prototype of the LISA gravitational reference sensor that will surround the test mass in orbit. The measurement campaign, accompanied by numerical simulations of the radiometric and radiation pressure effects, allows a more accurate and representative characterization of thermal-gradient forces in the specific geometry and environment relevant to LISA free-fall. The pressure dependence of the measured torques allows clear identification of the radiometric effect, in quantitative agreement with the model developed. In the limit of zero gas pressure, the measurements are most likely dominated by outgassing, but at a low level that does not threaten the LISA sensitivity goals.
