Project Details
Optical Control of a Torsion Balance as a Low-Noise Test Platform (B06)
Subject Area
Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
Term
since 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 434617780
The underlying principle of gravity-related satellite missions is sensing the purely gravity driven motion of freely floating test masses. These test masses must be carefully protected from all non-gravitational forces. The preferred experimental approach to measure such tiny forces on ground are torsion balances. Within the project, we aim to establish laser-interferometry as the primary readout technique in order to overcome limitations of torsion balances. The main goal is to establish the torsion balance as a reliable, high-precision test bed for the measurement of very small forces and accelerations.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Applicant Institution
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
Project Heads
Professor Dr. Karsten Danzmann; Dr. Moritz Mehmet