On Superconductive Gravity Gradiometry in Space

Superconductive gravity gradiometers for space have been expected in vain for more than fifteen years, since the niobium superconductor technology has maturated and became commonly regarded as adequate to the purpose. Therefore an old design idea may be suspected of inefficiency, and new concepts should be considered. We propose one that abandons an attractive yet restrictive method of spatial differentiation by the principle of the magnetic flux conservation. Instead, it uses the SQUID just as a low noise sensor in the test mass displacement transducers, and differentiates by means of a negative feedback. We argue that the feedback can ease the known obstacles. Especially, it provides convenient practical means for neutralization of the low frequency SQUID noise, and for correction of dimensional inaccuracies of the sensor mechanics. Moreover, the feedback can organize a cluster of twelve elementary accelerometers into a precise tensor gradiometer that can self-correct its inaccuracies by tuning the cross-coupling between its elements. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.