Related papers: A New Torsion Pendulum for Gravitational Reference…
We describe a torsion pendulum with a large mass-quadrupole moment and a resonant frequency of 2.8 mHz, whose angle is measured using a modified Michelson interferometer. The system achieved noise levels of $\sim200\…
The torsion pendulum is a prevailing instrument for measuring small forces acting on a solid body or those between solid bodies. While it offers powerful advantages, the measurement precision suffers from thermal noises of the suspending…
A four mass torsion pendulum facility for testing of the LISA GRS is under development in Trento. With a LISA-like test mass suspended off-axis with respect to the pendulum fiber, the facility allows for a direct measurement of surface…
Precise measurements of the displacement of, and force acting on, a mechanical oscillator can be performed by coupling the oscillator to an optical cavity. Brownian thermal forces represent a fundamental limit to measurement sensitivity…
Precision space inertial sensors are imperative to Earth geodesy missions, gravitational wave observations and several fundamental physics experiments in space. In these missions, the residual acceleration noise of the test mass(TM) caused…
High precision interferometers such as gravitational-wave detectors require complex seismic isolation systems in order to decouple the experiment from unwanted ground motion. Improved inertial sensors for active isolation potentially…
The low-frequency resolution of space-based gravitational wave observatories such as LISA (Laser Interferometry Space Antenna) hinges on the orbital purity of a free-falling reference test mass inside a satellite shield. We present here a…
In this paper, we introduce the experiment based on a sensitive torsion pendulum for measuring and calibrating small forces at nanonewton scale. The force standard for calibration is the universal gravitation between four masses separated…
Probing the possibility of entanglement generation through gravity offers a path to tackle the question of whether gravitational fields possess a quantum mechanical nature. A potential realization necessitates systems with low-frequency…
Accumulation of electrical charge on the end mirrors of gravitational wave observatories, such as the space-based LISA mission and ground-based LIGO detectors, can become a source of noise limiting the sensitivity of such detectors through…
A torsion pendulum allows ground-based investigation of the purity of free-fall for the LISA test masses inside their capacitive position sensor. This paper presents recent improvements in our torsion pendulum facility that have both…
Measurement of mutual gravitation on laboratory scales is an outstanding challenge and a prerequisite to probing theories of quantum gravity. A leading technology in tabletop gravity experiments is the torsion balance, with limitations due…
We describe an inertial rotation sensor with a 30-cm cylindrical proof-mass suspended from a pair of 14-${\mu}$m thick BeCu flexures. The angle between the proof-mass and support structure is measured with a pair of homodyne interferometers…
We have developed a torsion pendulum facility for LISA gravitational reference sensor ground testing that allows us to put significant upper limits on residual stray forces exerted by LISA-like position sensors on a representative test mass…
In this work, the force due to radiation pressure is measured with sub-10 pN sensitivity, corresponding to less than 2 mW of optical power. The apparatus adds homemade reflectors to a commercial Cavendish balance, which consists of a…
Precision sensing and manipulation of milligram-scale mechanical oscillators has attracted growing interest in the fields of table-top explorations of gravity and tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales. Torsional oscillators…
Torsion pendulums have been widely used in physical experiments, because their small restoring forces are suitable for tiny force measurement. Recently, some applications such as low-frequency gravity gradiometers have been proposed by…
We discuss a new torsion pendulum design for ground testing of prototype LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) displacement sensors. This new design is directly sensitive to net forces and therefore provides a more representative test…
The torsion pendulum at the heart of the apparatus to measure the gravitational constant, $G$ at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) is used to measure the gravitational torque between source and test-mass assemblies with…
We explore a new class of chipscale torsion pendula formed by Si$_3$N$_4$ nanoribbon suspensions. Owing to their unique hierarchy of gravitational, tensile, and elastic stiffness, the devices exhibit damping rates of $\sim 10\;\mu$Hz and…