Abstract
The equivalence of gravitational and inertial mass has been advanced to a basic postulate of the Einstein view of gravity. As such it deserves the most rigorous testing possible. Recent advances in technology (SQUIDS, superconducting bearings, space-operable liquid helium cryogenics) have made it possible to test this equivalence to one part in 1017, an advance of a factor of a million. The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle has been proposed to NASA and ESA for flight in about 2000. It will incorporate an extremely sensitive accelerometer in a liquid helium cryostat in Earth orbit at 550 km.
All sources of noise must be rigorously controlled to achieve this sensitivity. One such source is the motion of the liquid helium cryogen in the gravity-gradient field existing in an orbiting satellite. The use of electrostatic forces to confine the helium has been proposed. A system of electrodes charged to several thousand volts would limit the motions to 0.1% of the free motion, well below that needed.
Such a system has been designed and analyzed. A demonstration model of the system has been demonstrated in a NASA zero gravity aircraft. The analysis, test and test results are described in this paper. The system has been shown to meet the requirements of the mission.
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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Mason, P.V. et al. (1994). The Control of Liquid Helium in Space by Electrostatics for the Satellite Test of Equivalence Principle Experiment. In: Kittel, P. (eds) Advances in Cryogenic Engineering. Advances in Cryogenic Engineering, vol 39. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2522-6_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2522-6_25
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