MG14 - Talk detail |
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Participant |
Peron, Roberto | |||||||
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Institution |
IAPS-INAF - Via del Fosso Cavaliere - Roma - - Italy | |||||||
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Session |
PT3 |
Accepted |
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Time |
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Talk |
Oral abstract |
Title |
A Proposal for a Test of Weak Equivalence Principle Using a Cryogenic Differential Accelerometer Installed on a Pendulum | |||||
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Abstract |
We present here the concept for a new experimental test of the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) carried out in the gravity field of the Sun, in which two test masses of different materials are the central elements of a differential accelerometer with zero baseline. The accelerometer is placed on a pendulum, in such a way as to make the common center of mass of the two test masses coincident with the center of mass of the pendulum. Exploiting a very precise centering, such a system should provide a high degree of attenuation of the local seismic noise; this, together with an integration time of the order of tens of days, would allow a verification of the WEP with an accuracy improved by at least an order of magnitude with respect to the state of the art. One of the strengths of this experiment is the know-how acquired from a previous study and technology development (GREAT: General Relativity Accuracy Test) that involved a test of the WEP in the gravity field of the Earth, in free fall inside a co-moving capsule released from a stratospheric balloon. The concept of the experiment will be presented, along with perspectives for its implementation. |
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Pdf file |
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Session |
PT5 |
Accepted |
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Time |
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Talk |
Oral abstract |
Title |
Development Status of BepiColombo ISA Accelerometer | |||||
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Abstract |
To be launched in 2017, ESA mission BepiColombo will perform a thorough study of the planet Mercury and its environment. Among the wide range of its scientific objectives, an important set is constituted by the so-called Radio Science Experiments (RSE), which will study the gravitational field and rotation of the planet, and will perform very precise tests of general relativity theory. In order to reach the required level of accuracy in recovering the relevant parameters, the data coming from the high-sensitivity ISA (Italian Spring Accelerometer) instrument onboard the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) will be used - the first time for a deep-space probe - in the orbit determination and parameter estimation procedure. Following a brief description of the RSE in the context of the mission, the instrument and its wide capabilities will be reviewed. In particular the ongoing on-ground calibration activities (concerning both the calibration of actuators and that of sensing axes directions) will be described. |
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Pdf file |
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