The experiment scenario and performance of the MICROSCOPE mission
Résumé
Null test of the universality of free fall to an accuracy of 1E-15 will confirm the Einstein Principle of General Relativity pushing away the search for new interaction and potential deviation suggested by the theoretical attempts of quantum gravity. A violation, when confirmed, may be the first experimental result of a more precise nature of gravity. The MICROSCOPE mission is presently developed to perform such a test with four masses falling in orbit by pair, in the Earth gravity field at 800km. The first pair provides the test of free fall of Platinum and Titanium masses. The second pair composed of same material masses is only dedicated to verify the experiment performance. In addition, the operation of the instrument and of the different satellite and payload configurations shall be managed in orbit to provide full information on the experiment performance and sensitivity to any disturbing sources: thermal, gravitational, inertial, etc. A specific scenario of the space experiment has also been established, demonstrating the interest of the in-orbit calibration of the experimental device, which contributes to the reliability of the future result.