We describe SR-POEM, a Galilean test of the weak equivalence principle, which is to be conducted during the free fall portion of a sounding rocket flight. This test of a single pair of substances is aimed at a measurement uncertainty of () < 10 -16 after averaging the results of eight separate drops, each of 40 s duration. The weak equivalence principle measurement is made with a set of four laser gauges that are expected to achieve 0.1 pm Hz -1/2 . We address the two sources of systematic error that are currently of greatest concern, magnetic force and electrostatic (patch effect) force on the test mass assemblies. The discovery of a violation (η ≠ 0) would have profound implications for physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
We describe SR-POEM, a Galilean test of the weak equivalence principle that is to be conducted during the free fall portion of the flight of a sounding rocket payload. This test of a single pair of substances will have a measurement uncertainty of () < 2 ä 10 -17 after averaging the results of eight separate drops, each of 120 s duration. The entire payload is inverted between successive drops to cancel potential sources of systematic error. The weak equivalence principle measurement is made with a set of four of the SAO laser gauges, which have achieved an Allan deviation of 0.04 pm for an averaging time of 30 s. We discuss aspects of the current design with an emphasis on those that bear on the accuracy of the determination of η. The discovery of a violation (η ≠ 0) would have profound implications for physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
SR-POEM is a Galilean test of the weak equivalence principle that aims to measure the fractional acceleration difference η with a mission uncertainty
for a pair of test substances. It is to be conducted during the low-drag free fall portion of a sounding rocket flight. The interaction of the magnetic field gradient with tiny remanent magnetic moments of the test masses will produce a spurious acceleration that is not sufficiently reduced by a single Mu-metal shield. In this paper, we study configurations with two and three shields. Approximate analytic formulae are used to study the shielding factor as a function of geometry. We use finite element analysis (FEA) to determine the magnetic field and gradient for certain cases that satisfy the mission requirements. FEA results are compared with analytic expressions wherever appropriate. Several configurations reduce both axial and transverse magnetic field within the shielding volume by at least the required factor of
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