Work

Investigation of electrostatic force and acceleration noise in test mass caused by the patch effect

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study focuses on test-mass noise induced by the patch effect in space-borne gravitational-wave detection, through systematic theoretical and experimental analyses. Based on a two-dimensional quasi-local correlation model and the structural parameters of the TianQin and LISA missions, we calculate the electrostatic forces generated by multi-scale patch potentials. The results indicate that the system operates in the transition region ( a / w ∼ 10) under practical working conditions, with an actual working gap of 4 mm and a typical patch size of 0.4 mm. Scanning kelvin probe force microscopy was employed to characterize the spatiotemporal distribution of surface potentials on gold-plated films, yielding a potential standard deviation of 15.61 mV and a potential noise amplitude spectral density of approximately 21 μ V / Hz . The results quantify the specific impact of the patch effect on both missions: electrostatic forces range from 10 −12 to 10 −14 N, and the acceleration noise at 1 mHz is approximately 1.24 × 10 –16 m s − 2 / Hz . Maintaining the surface potential standard deviation below 10 mV across the entire frequency band can meet the theoretical requirement of 3 × 10 –16 m s − 2 / Hz . Finally, noise-suppression strategies based on structural design and surface-process optimization are proposed, providing a foundation for improving payload performance in space-based gravitational-wave detection. These results provide a foundation for payload performance improvement in space-based gravitational-wave detection and establish a unified, mission-oriented, experimentally supported framework for evaluating patch-effect-induced electrostatic forces and acceleration noise.

Source: Classical and Quantum Gravity

DOI: 10.1088/1361-6382/ae621f