4 research outputs found
Facing the LISA Data Analysis Challenge
By being the first observatory to survey the source rich low frequency region
of the gravitational wave spectrum, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
(LISA) will revolutionize our understanding of the Cosmos. For the first time
we will be able to detect the gravitational radiation from millions of galactic
binaries, the coalescence of two massive black holes, and the inspirals of
compact objects into massive black holes. The signals from multiple sources in
each class, and possibly others as well, will be simultaneously present in the
data. To achieve the enormous scientific return possible with LISA,
sophisticated data analysis techniques must be developed which can mine the
complex data in an effort to isolate and characterize individual signals. This
proceedings paper very briefly summarizes the challenges associated with
analyzing the LISA data, the current state of affairs, and the necessary next
steps to move forward in addressing the imminent challenges.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, Proceedings paper for the TeV Particle
Astrophysics II conference held Aug 28-31 at the Univ. of Wisconsi
Testing General Relativity with Low-Frequency, Space-Based Gravitational-Wave Detectors
We review the tests of general relativity that will become possible with space-based gravitational-wave detectors operating in the ∼ 10^{-5} – 1 Hz low-frequency band. The fundamental aspects of gravitation that can be tested include the presence of additional gravitational fields other than the metric; the number and tensorial nature of gravitational-wave polarization states; the velocity of propagation of gravitational waves; the binding energy and gravitational-wave radiation of binaries, and therefore the time evolution of binary inspirals; the strength and shape of the waves emitted from binary mergers and ringdowns; the true nature of astrophysical black holes; and much more. The strength of this science alone calls for the swift implementation of a space-based detector; the remarkable richness of astrophysics, astronomy, and cosmology in the low-frequency gravitational-wave band make the case even stronger