Spurious forces on the LISA proof masses due to electrostatic charging Original Research Article

Electrostatic charging of the LISA proof masses by penetrating cosmic rays and energetic solar particles in interplanetary space leads to two kinds of spurious forces: i) Lorentz interaction due to the motion of the charged proof masses through the interplanetary magnetic field, and ii) Coulomb interaction between the charged proof masses and surrounding conducting surfaces. Estimates of charging rates have been computed using the GEANT Monte Carlo particle-transport code in combination with realistic proton flux models.