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arXiv · 0911.3175

LISA long-arm interferometry

James Ira Thorpe
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Abstract

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will observe gravitational radiation in the milliHertz band by measuring picometer-level fluctuations in the distance between drag-free proof masses over baselines of approximately five million kilometers. The measurement over each baseline will be divided into three parts: two short-arm measurements between the proof masses and a fiducial point on their respective spacecraft, and a long-arm measurement between fiducial points on separate spacecraft. This work focuses on the technical challenges associated with these long-arm measurements and the techniques that have been developed to overcome them.

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James Ira Thorpe. 2009-11-16. LISA long-arm interferometry. https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381%2F27%2F8%2F084008

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