Platform and environment requirements of a satellite quantum test of the Weak Equivalence Principle at the $10^{-17}$ level

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the platform and environmental requirements for the STE-QUEST satellite mission, which aims to test the weak equivalence principle at an unprecedented precision level of 10^{-17} using quantum sensors.

Contribution

It derives the environmental and platform constraints necessary for achieving the mission's high-precision WEP test, demonstrating that existing satellite technology can meet these requirements.

Findings

Satellite platform requirements are compatible with existing mission heritage.

Environmental control is critical for achieving the target sensitivity.

Technical readiness of previous missions supports STE-QUEST feasibility.

Abstract

The Space Time Explorer and QUantum Equivalence principle Space Test (STE-QUEST) recently proposed, aims at performing a precision test of the weak equivalence principle (WEP), a fundamental cornerstone of General Relativity. Taking advantage of the ideal operation conditions for high-precision quantum sensing on board of a satellite, it aims to detect possible violations of WEP down to the $10^{-17}$ level. This level of performance leads to stringent environmental requirements on the control of the spacecraft. We assume an operation of a dual-species atom interferometer of rubidium and potassium isotopes in a double-diffraction configuration and derive the constraints to achieve an E\"otv\"os parameter $\eta=10^{-17}$ in statistical and systematic uncertainties. We show that technical heritage of previous satellite missions, such as MICROSCOPE, satisfies the platform requirements to achieve the proposed objectives underlying the technical readiness of the STE-QUEST mission proposal.