Development of an Optical Read-Out System for the LISA/NGO Gravitational Reference Sensor: A Status Report

The LISA group in Napoli is working on the development of an Optical Read-Out (ORO) system, based on optical levers and position sensitive detectors, for the LISA gravitational reference sensor. ORO is not meant as an alternative, but as an addition, to capacitive readout, that is the reference solution for LISA/NGO and will be tested on flight by LISA-Pathfinder. The main goal is the introduction of some redundancy with consequent mission risk mitigation. Furthermore, the ORO system is more sensitive than the capacitive one and its usage would allow a significant relaxation of the specifications on cross-couplings in the drag free control loops. The reliability of the proposed ORO device and the fulfilment of the sensitivity requirements have been already demonstrated in bench-top measurements and tests with the four mass torsion pendulum developed in Trento as a ground testing facility for LISA-Pathfinder and LISA hardware. In this paper we report on the present status of this activity presenting the last results and perspectives on some relevant aspects. 1) System design, measured sensitivity and noise characterization. 2) Possible layouts for integration in LISA/NGO and bench-top tests on real scale prototypes. 3) Search for space compatible components and preliminary tests. We will also discuss next steps in view of a possible application in LISA/NGO.