Experimental evaluation of nongravitational noise of torsion balances

Torsion balances used in gravimeter systems are subject to a variety of nongravitational effects, including those of electrostatic, thermal, magnetic, seismic, and convective nature. The creation of highly sensitive devices for measuring gravity gradients and the gravitational constant cannot be achieved without taking into account such parasitic effects. This paper describes a test stand for evaluating such effects on torsion balances and discusses some results obtained.