Fundamental Physics at ESA

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Fundamental Physics at ESA

• J. Clavel
• ESA
• Science Directorate

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Overview

• Two dedicated missions in the Science Directorate
• LISA Pathfinder
• LISA
• Missions with aspects of FP in the Science
  Directorate
• Gaia
• Planck
• Mission concepts under assessment
• Fundamental Physics Explorer
• Minor contributions to nationally led missions
• Microscope (CNES)
• Missions in other Directorates but supported
  through Science Directorate
• ACES (led by Human Spaceflight)

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ACES
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ACES mission

• ESA mission conducted by Human Spaceflight
• To be installed on the ISS (Columbus module)
• Payload
• Cs fountain clock (PHARAO)
• Hydrogen maser (SHM)
• Microwave link
• Mission goals
• Test of a new generation of space clocks
• Precise and accurate time and frequency transfer
• Fundamental physics tests
• Status payload development
• Launch 2010

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Microscope

• CNES-led mission to investigate the equivalence
  principle
• Target sensitivity 10-15
• Room-temperature experiment
• Measurement principle
• compare the effect of gravity on two masses of
  different material
• 2 differential accelerometers in free-fall
  (PtRh/PtRh and Ti/PtRh)

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Microscope

• ESA contributes µN thrusters (FEEP)
• ONERA inertial sensor development
• Development status
• Satellite PDR February 2006
• Launch
• May 2010

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Planck

• Measuring the CMB with unprecedented accuracy
• ?T/T 2 10-6 (about 10 times better than WMAP)
• Angular resolution 5 arcmin (about 3 times better
  than WMAP)
• Wide frequency coverage (30857 GHz).
• Payload
• Low Frequency Instrument (LFI)
• Intensity and polarization at 33 GHz, 44 GHz and
  70 GHz
• Cryogenic detectors (20 K)
• High Frequency Instrument (HFI)
• Bolometric measurements (intensity and
  polarisation) at 6 frequencies at 100 857 GHz
• Detector temperature 0.1 K

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Planck

• Fundamental physics with Planck
• Nature of Dark Energy and Dark Matter
• Tests of constraints on inflation
• Baryogenesis
• String theory
• Status
• Payload flight models under test, delivery to ESA
  July/August 2006
• Launch
• Foreseen Q1 2008 (joint launch with Herschel on
  Ariane 5)

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Gaia Taking a census of the galaxy

• Astrometric mission to measure positions,
  distances, and space motions of stars in our
  galaxy
• About a 109 stars up to magnitude 20
• median parallax errors 7 µas at 10 mag 20-25
  µas at 15 mag 200300 µas at 20 mag
• Distance accuracy between 1 and 10
• Velocity accuracy between 0.5 km/s and 10 km/s
• Status
• Implementation phase
• Launch
• December 2011

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Gaia science objectives

• Galaxy origin and formation
• Physics of stars and their evolution
• Galactic dynamics and distance scale
• Solar System census
• Large-scale detection of all classes of
  astrophysical objects including brown dwarfs,
  white dwarfs, and planetary systems
• Fundamental physics

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Fundamental Physics with Gaia

• Determine PPN parameters
• 1-? lt 510-7
• 1-?lt 310-4
• Solar quadrupol moment J2 to 10-710-8
• Variability of the gravitational constant
• ?tG/G to 10-1210-13 yr-1
• Constraints on gravitational wave energy at
  frequencies between 10-12 Hz and 410-9 Hz
• Constraints on ?M and ?? from quasar microlensing

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LISA PF

• Precursor to LISA
• Demonstrating critical technologies for LISA
• Drag-free
• Micro-Newton Thrusters
• Interferometry
• Single spacecraft in Lissajous type orbit around
  L1
• Mission duration 6 months
• Mission status
• Mission PDR successful in February 2006
• Flight hardware delivery Summer 2007
• Launch in Q4 2009

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LISA PF

• Payload
• Payload consists of a European contribution
• Two gravitational reference sensors
• Interferometric measurement system
• Drag free control system
• µN thruster
• US contribution
• Disturbance reduction system descoped!
• Drag free control system and µN thruster

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LISA PF Inertial Sensor
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LISA PF IMS
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LISA

• Mission to detect and observe gravitational waves
  and their sources
• Joint ESA/NASA mission
• Europe Payload, Payload integration, propulsion
  module
• NASA Payload, Payload integration, Spacecraft,
  launcher, operations
• Science operations will be conducted jointly
• Technological challenges
• Interferometric measurements to picometer
  accuracy
• Drag-free technology
• Low frequency stability
• Definition/Development 2010 after completion of
  LISA PF
• Launch date 2017 (present planning assumption)

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LISA mission concept

• Cluster of 3 spacecraft in a heliocentric orbit
• Spacecraft shield the test masses from external
  forces (solar wind, radiation pressure)
• Allows measurement of amplitude and polarisation
  of GW

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LISA mission concept

• Cluster of 3 spacecraft in a heliocentric orbit
• Trailing the Earth by 20 (50 million kilometers)
• Reducing the influence of the Earth-Moon system
  on the orbits
• Keeping the communication requirements
  (relatively) standard

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LISA mission concept

• Cluster of 3 spacecraft in a heliocentric orbit
• Trailing the Earth by 20 (50 million kilometers)
• Equilateral triangle with 5 million kilometers
  arm length
• Results in easily measurable pathlength
  variations
• Orbit is still stable enough to allow for mission
  duration larger than 5 years

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LISA Science Goals

• Merging supermassive black holes
• Merging intermediate-mass/seed black holes
• Gravitational captures
• Galactic and verification binaries
• Cosmological backgrounds and bursts

• Determine the role of massive black holes in
  galaxy evolution
• Make precision tests of Einsteins Theory of
  Relativity
• Determine the population of ultra-compact
  binaries in the Galaxy
• Probe the physics of the early universe

NASA/CXC/MPE/S. Komossa et al.
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Call for CV Mission Proposals (1)

• First of 3 Calls (TBC) for implementation of
  CV2015-2025
• Available budget for a 2016 launch 320 M (1
  effective budget year)
• The Call will nevertheless be fully open
• No a priori size restriction, but clear cost
  guidelines
• Mission could be
• a small/medium size S/M mission (320 M cost to
  ESA)
• a large ESA alone L mission (650 M cost to ESA)
• Selection of L mission will serve for long term
  technological development for mission launch in ?
  2020
• Up to 2 S/M (depending on size) 1 L missions
  will eventually be implemented

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Schedule of Call for proposals

• Call for mission proposals released 10 June
  2006
• Letters of Intent due 30 June
  2006
• Briefing to proposers at ESTEC July 2006
• Mission proposals due December 2006
• WG select 3 S-M 3 L missions for study phase
  February 2007
• All dates to be confirmed!

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Backup slides
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ACES Mission Objectives I
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ACES Mission Objectives II
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ACES Mission Objectives III
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S-M Missions schedule

• Assessment phases Jan 2007 Dec 2008
• Internal assessment phase in 2007
• Competitive industrial assessment in 2008
• Emphasis on payload, cost and risks
  
• Presentation to Working Groups for prioritisation
  April 2009
• SSAC recommendation for selection
  April 2009
• Selection of 2 missions
  May 2009
• Preparation release of ITT
  Jun-Dec 2009
• Start of industrial Definition Phase
  Jan 2010
• SPC approval for development phase 1 mission
  Jun 2011
• Launch Mid-end 2016

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L Missions schedule

• Study and Technology development phase Jan
  2007 Jun 2010
• WG review and prioritisation Sep 2010
• SSAC recommendation for 1 L mission Oct
  2010
• Start Technology consolidation Phase
  Apr 2011
• Start Definition Phase Apr 2013
• Start Implementation phase Apr 2015
• L Mission Launch
  2020