Possibilities for Measurement and Compensation of Stray DC Electric Fields Acting on Drag-Free Test Masses

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple method to measure and compensate stray DC electric fields acting on test masses in gravitational wave detectors, significantly reducing force noise and improving measurement accuracy.

Contribution

It proposes a novel technique for measuring and compensating stray DC potentials at the millivolt level in space-based and ground experiments.

Findings

Effective reduction of force noise in test masses

Achievable resolution for stray DC potential measurement

Potential for improved gravitational wave detection sensitivity

Abstract

DC electric fields can combine with test mass charging and thermal dielectric voltage noise to create significant force noise acting on the drag-free test masses in the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) gravitational wave mission. This paper proposes a simple technique to measure and compensate average stray DC potentials at the mV level, yielding substantial reduction in this source of force noise. We discuss the attainable resolution for both flight and ground based experiments.