MICROSCOPE: systematic errors

The MICROSCOPE mission aims to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) in orbit with an unprecedented precision of 10(-15) on the Eotvos parameter thanks to electrostatic accelerometers on board a drag-free micro-satellite. The precision of the test is determined by statistical errors, due to the environment and instrument noises, and by systematic errors to which this paper is devoted. Systematic error sources can be divided into three categories: external perturbations, such as the residual atmospheric drag or the gravity gradient at the satellite altitude, perturbations linked to the satellite design, such as thermal or magnetic perturbations, and perturbations from the instrument internal sources. Each systematic error is evaluated or bounded in order to set a reliable upper bound on the WEP parameter estimation uncertainty.

Automated summary

The MICROSCOPE mission aims to test the weak equivalence principle with an unprecedented precision using electrostatic accelerometers on a micro-satellite. Systematic errors, including external perturbations, satellite design-related perturbations, and instrument internal perturbations, are evaluated to determine the uncertainty of the WEP parameter estimation.