Charge neutralization in vacuum for non-conducting and isolated objects using directed low-energy electron and ion beams
Abstract
We propose using ions and electrons of energy 1 eV–10 eV for neutralizing the charges on the non-conducting or isolated surfaces of high-sensitivity experiments. The mirror surfaces of the test masses of the laser interferometer gravitational observatory are used as an example of the implementation of this method. By alternatively directing beams of positive and negative charges towards the mirror surfaces, we ensure the neutralization of the total charge as well as the equalization of the surface charge distribution to within a few eV of the potential of the ground reference of the vacuum system. This method is compatible with operation in high vacuum, does not require measuring the potential of the mirrors and is expected not to damage sensitive optical surfaces.
Additional Information
© 2008 IOP Publishing Limited. Received 25 September 2007, in final form 7 December 2007. Published 14 January 2008. Print publication: Issue 3 (7 February 2008). Stanford authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the Office of the Dean for Research. LIGO was constructed by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology with funding from the National Science Foundation and operates under cooperative agreement PHY-0107417. This paper has LIGO document number LIGOP070098-03-Z. NAR also acknowledges support from STFC and the University of Glasgow. The authors wish to thank Professor Dennis Ugolini of Trinity University for his review of the paper on behalf of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. His suggestions and comments have made for a better paper.Files
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 9535
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:BUCcqg08
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2008-01-30Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2022-07-12Created from EPrint's last_modified field