The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna will detect gravitational waves with frequencies from 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz. This article provides a brief overview of LISA's science goals followed by a tutorial of the LISA measurement concept.
The response of an interferometer changing its orientation with respect to a fixed reference frame is given in terms of the beam-pattern factors and the polarization-averaged antenna power pattern.
We present an overview of quantum noise in gravitational wave interferometers. Gravitational wave detectors are extensively modified variants of a Michelson interferometer and the quantum noise couplings are strongly influenced by the interferometer configuration. We describe recent developments in the treatment of quantum noise in the complex interferometer configurations of present-day and future gravitational-wave detectors. In addition, we explore prospects for the use of squeezed light in future interferometers, including consideration of the effects of losses, and the choice of optimal r…
Bayesian analysis of LISA data sets based on Markov chain Monte Carlo methods has been shown to be a challenging problem, in part due to the complicated structure of the likelihood function consisting of several isolated local maxima that dramatically reduces the efficiency of the sampling techniques. Here we introduce a new fully Markovian algorithm, a Delayed Rejection Metropolis-Hastings Markov chain Monte Carlo method, to efficiently explore these kind of structures and we demonstrate its performance on selected LISA data sets containing a known number of stellar-mass binary signals embedd…
The Advanced Laser Interferometer Antenna (ALIA) and the Big Bang Observer (BBO) have been proposed as follow on missions to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Here we study the capabilities of these observatories, and how they relate to the science goals of the missions. We find that the Advanced Laser Interferometer Antenna in Stereo (ALIAS), our proposed extension to the ALIA mission, will go considerably further toward meeting ALIA's main scientific goal of studying intermediate mass black holes. We also compare the capabilities of LISA to a related extension of the LISA missio…
The random superposition of many weak sources will produce a stochastic background of gravitational waves that may dominate the response of the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) gravitational wave observatory. Unless something can be done to distinguish between a stochastic background and detector noise, the two will combine to form an effective noise floor for the detector. Two methods have been proposed to solve this problem. The first is to cross-correlate the output of two independent interferometers. The second is an ingenious scheme for monitoring the instrument noise by operatin…
It may be possible to construct a laser interferometer gravitational wave antenna in space with $h_{rms}\sim 10^{-27}$ at $ f\sim 0.1{\rm Hz}$ in this century. We show possible specification of this antenna which we call DECIGO. Using this antenna we show that 1) typically $ 10^5$ ($10^4\sim 10^6$) chirp signals of coalescing binary neutron stars per year may be detected with S/N $\sim 10^4$. 2) We can directly measure the acceleration of the universe by ten years observation of binary neutron stars. 3) The stochastic gravitational waves of $Ω_{GW}\gsim 10^{-20}$ predicted by the inflation may…
A dual-pass differential Fabry-Perot interferometer (DPDFPI) is one candidate of the interferometer configurations utilized in future Fabry-Perot type space gravitational wave antennas, such as Deci-hertz Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory. In this paper, the working principle of the DPDFPI has been investigated and necessity to adjust the absolute length of the cavity for the operation of the DPDFPI has been found. In addition, using the 55-cm-long prototype, the operation of the DPDFPI has been demonstrated for the first time and it has been confirmed that the adjustment of the ab…
In order to detect the rare astrophysical events that generate gravitational wave (GW) radiation, sufficient stability is required for GW antennas to allow long-term observation. In practice, seismic excitation is one of the most common disturbances effecting stable operation of suspended-mirror laser interferometers. A straightforward means to allow more stable operation is therefore to locate the antenna, the ``observatory'', at a ``quiet'' site. A laser interferometer gravitational wave antenna with a baseline length of 20m (LISM) was developed at a site 1000m underground, near Kamioka, Jap…
We discuss the sensitivity to anisotropies of stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds (GWBs) observed via space-based interferometer. In addition to the unresolved galactic binaries as the most promising GWB source of the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), the extragalactic sources for GWBs might be detected in the future space missions. The anisotropies of the GWBs thus play a crucial role to discriminate various components of the GWBs. We study general features of antenna pattern sensitivity to the anisotropies of GWBs beyond the low-frequency approximation. We show that th…
We report on the first demonstration of time-delay interferometry (TDI) for LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. TDI was implemented in a laboratory experiment designed to mimic the noise couplings that will occur in LISA. TDI suppressed laser frequency noise by approximately 10^9 and clock phase noise by 6x10^4, recovering the intrinsic displacement noise floor of our laboratory test bed. This removal of laser frequency noise and clock phase noise in post-processing marks the first experimental validation of the LISA measurement scheme.
A new topology of laser interferometric gravitational-wave antenna is considered. It is based on two schemes: {\em quantum speedmeter} and {\em zero-area Sagnac interferometer} and allows to obtain sensitivity better than the Standard Quantum Limit in wide band without any large-scale modifications of the standard topology of the laser interferometric antennae.
We demonstrate a method to fully characterize mass-transferring double white dwarf (DWD) systems with a helium-rich (He) WD donor based on the mass--radius relationship for He WDs. Using a simulated Galactic population of DWDs, we show that donor and accretor masses can be inferred for up to $\sim\, 60$ systems observed by both Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and Gaia. Half of these systems will have mass constraints $Δ\,M_{\rm{D}}\lesssim0.2M_{\odot}$ and $Δ\,M_{\rm{A}}\lesssim2.3\,M_{\odot}$. We also show how the orbital frequency evolution due to astrophysical processes and gravit…
When a stellar-mass compact object is captured by a supermassive black hole located in a galactic centre, the system losses energy and angular momentum by the emission of gravitational waves. Subsequently, the stellar compact object evolves inspiraling until plunging onto the massive black hole. These EMRI systems are expected to be one of the main sources of gravitational waves for the future space-based Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). However, the detection of EMRI signals will require of very accurate theoretical templates taking into account the gravitational self-force, which i…
It may be possible to construct a laser interferometer gravitational wave antenna in space with $h_{rms}\sim 10^{-23}$ at $ f\sim 0.1{\rm Hz}$ in $\sim 2020$. This deci hertz antenna may be called DECIGO/BBO,which stand for DECi hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory and Big Bang Observer, respectively. The analysis of 1-10 years observational data of the coalescing binary neutron stars or black holes at the distance of $\sim$ 300Mpc will give us the spatial position within $\sim$ an arc minute and the time of the coalescence within $\sim 0.1$ sec beforehand. With the knowledge of…
We compare two advanced designs for gravitational-wave antennas in terms of their ability to detect two possible gravitational wave sources. Spherical, resonant mass antennas and interferometers incorporating resonant sideband extraction (RSE) were modeled using experimentally measurable parameters. The signal-to-noise ratio of each detector for a binary neutron star system and a rapidly rotating stellar core were calculated. For a range of plausible parameters we found that the advanced LIGO interferometer incorporating RSE gave higher signal-to-noise ratios than a spherical detector resonant…
The possible design of QND gravitational-wave detector based on speed meter principle is considered with respect to optical losses. The detailed analysis of speed meter interferometer is performed and the ultimate sensitivity that can be achieved is calculated. It is shown that unlike the position meter signal-recycling can hardly be implemented in speed meter topology to replace the arm cavities as it is done in signal-recycled detectors, such as GEO 600. It is also shown that speed meter can beat the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL) by the factor of $\sim 3$ in relatively wide frequency band, an…
Certain alternative theories of gravity predict that gravitational waves will disperse as they travel from the source to the observer. The recent binary black hole observations by Advanced-LIGO have set limits on a modified dispersion relation from the constraints on their effects on gravitational-wave propagation. Using an identical modified dispersion, of the form $E^2=p^2c^2+{\mathbb A}\; p^α c^α$, where ${\mathbb A}$ denotes the magnitude of dispersion and $E$ and $p$ are the energy and momentum of the gravitational wave, we estimate the projected constraints on the modified dispersion fro…
A new optical topology and signal readout strategy for a laser interferometer gravitational wave detector were proposed recently by Braginsky and Khalili . Their method is based on using a nonlinear medium inside a microwave oscillator to detect the gravitational-wave-induced spatial shift of the interferometer's standing optical wave. This paper proposes a quantum nondemolition (QND) scheme that could be realistically used for such a readout device and discusses a "fundamental" sensitivity limit imposed by a higher order optical effect.
We discuss two geosynchronous gravitational wave mission concepts, which we generically name gLISA. One relies on the science instrument hosting program onboard geostationary commercial satellites, while the other takes advantage of recent developments in the aerospace industry that result in dramatic satellite and launching vehicle cost reductions for a dedicated geosynchronous mission. To achieve the required level of disturbance free-fall onboard these large and heavy platforms we propose a "two-stage" drag-free system, which incorporates the Modular Gravitational Reference Sensor (MGRS) (d…
Site selection for the Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA)
Vanderbilt University(范德堡大学);Lunar Resources, Inc.(月球资源有限公司);University of Texas Rio Grande Valley(得克萨斯大学里奥格兰德河谷分校);Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS(巴黎西岱大学,巴黎地球物理研究所,法国国家科学研究中心);California Institute of Technology(加州理工学院);Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory(约翰斯·霍普金斯大学应用物理实验室)
The first terrestrial gravitational wave interferometers have dramatically underscored the scientific value of observing the Universe through an entirely different window, and of folding this new channel of information with traditional astronomical data for a multimessenger view. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will broaden the reach of gravitational wave astronomy by conducting the first survey of the millihertz gravitational wave sky, detecting tens of thousands of individual astrophysical sources ranging from white-dwarf binaries in our own galaxy to mergers of massive black h…
Laser frequency stabilization is notably one of the major challenges on the way to a space-borne gravitational wave observatory. The proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is presently under development in an ESA, NASA collaboration. We present a novel method for active laser stabilization and phase noise suppression in such a gravitational wave detector. The proposed approach is a further evolution of the "arm locking" method, which in essence consists of using an interferometer arm as an optical cavity, exploiting the extreme long-run stability of the cavity size in the frequency…
The quantum locking technique, which uses additional short low-loss sub-cavities, is effective in reducing quantum noise in space gravitational wave antenna DECIGO. However, the quantum noise of the main interferometer depends on the control systems in the sub-cavities. Here we demonstrate a new method to optimize the quantum noise independently of the feedback gain by completing the square in the quantum locking system. We successfully demonstrate in simulations that this method is effective in optimizing the homodyne angle to the best quantum-noise-limited sensitivity.
The French-Italian interferometric gravitational wave detector VIRGO is currently being commissioned. Its principal instrument is a Michelson laser interferometer with 3 km long optical cavities in the arms and a power-recycling mirror. The interferometer resides in an ultra-high vacuum system and the mirrors are suspended from multistage pendulums for seismic isolation. This type of laser interferometer reaches its maximum sensitivity only when the optical setup is held actively very accurately at a defined operating point: control systems using the precise interferometer signals stabilise th…
Fundamental sensitivity of an optical interferometric gravitational wave detector increases with increase of the optical power which, in turn, limited because of the opto-mechanical parametric instabilities of the interferometer. We propose to optimize geometrical shape of the mirrors of the detector to reduce the diffraction-limited finesse of unessential optical modes of the interferometer resulting in increase of the threshold of the opto-mechanical instabilities and subsequent increase of the measurement sensitivity. Utilizing parameters of the LIGO interferometer we found that the propose…
We present a mission concept, the Geostationary Antenna for Disturbance-Free Laser Interferometry (GADFLI), for a space-based gravitational-wave interferometer consisting of three satellites in geostationary orbit around the Earth. Compared to the nominal design of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), this concept has the advantages of significantly decreased requirements on the telescope size and laser power, decreased launch mass, substantially improved shot noise resulting from the shorter 73000 km armlengths, simplified and less expensive communications, and an overall lower cost…
Low energy non linear QED effects in vacuum have been predicted since 1936 and have been subject of research for many decades. Two main schemes have been proposed for such a 'first' detection: measurements of ellipticity acquired by a linearly polarized beam of light passing through a magnetic field and direct light-light scattering. The study of the propagation of light through an external field can also be used to probe for new physics such as the existence of axion-like particles and millicharged particles. Their existence in nature would cause the index of refraction of vacuum to be differ…
In the gravitational sector, we study the CPT violation and birefringence of gravitational waves. In presence of the CPT violation, a relative dephasing is generated between two circular polarization states of gravitational waves. This effect induces the birefringence of gravitational waves. We predict the gravitational waveform corrected by it and estimate the expected constraints on it from Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, Einstein Telescope and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is being designed to detect and study in detail gravitational waves from sources throughout the Universe such as massive black hole binaries. The conceptual formulation of the LISA space-borne gravitational wave detector is now well developed. The interferometric measurements between the sciencecraft remain one of the most important technological and scientific design areas for the mission. Our work has concentrated on developing the interferometric technologies to create a LISA-like optical signal and to measure the phase of that signal using comm…
We investigate the possibility of observing very small amplitude low frequency solar oscillations with the proposed laser interferometer space antenna (LISA). For frequencies $ν$ below $3\times 10^{-4} {\rm Hz}$ the dominant contribution is from the near zone time dependent gravitational quadrupole moments associated with the normal modes of oscillation. For frequencies $ν$ above $ 3\times 10^{-4} {\rm Hz}$ the dominant contribution is from gravitational radiation generated by the quadrupole oscillations which is larger than the Newtonian signal by a factor of the order $(2 πr ν/ c)^4$, where …
We extend the formalisms developed in Gair et al. and Cornish and van Haasteren to create maps of gravitational-wave backgrounds using a network of ground-based laser interferometers. We show that in contrast to pulsar timing arrays, which are insensitive to half of the gravitational-wave sky (the curl modes), a network of ground-based interferometers is sensitive to both the gradient and curl components of the background. The spatial separation of a network of interferometers, or of a single interferometer at different times during its rotational and orbital motion around the Sun, allows for …
We explore the prospects for the detection of giant circumbinary exoplanets and brown dwarfs (BDs) orbiting Galactic double white dwarfs binaries (DWDs) with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). By assuming an occurrence rate of 50%, motivated by white dwarf pollution observations, we built a Galactic synthetic population of P-type giant exoplanets and BDs orbiting DWDs. We carried this out by injecting different sub-stellar populations, with various mass and orbital separation characteristics, into the DWD population used in the LISA mission proposal. We then performed a Fisher matr…
Of all the astronomical sources of gravitational radiation, the ringdown waveform arising from a small perturbation of a spinning black hole is perhaps the best understood: for the late stages of such a perturbation, the waveform is simply an exponentially-damped sinusoid. Searching interferometric gravitational wave antenna data for these should be relatively easy. In this paper, I present the results of a single-filter search for ringdown waveforms arising from a 50 solar mass black hole with 98% of its maximum spin angular momentum using data from the Caltech 40-meter prototype interferomet…
Space-based gravitational wave detectors based on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) design operate by synthesizing one or more interferometers from fringe velocity measurements generated by changes in the light travel time between three spacecraft in a special set of drag-free heliocentric orbits. These orbits determine the inclination of the synthesized interferometer with respect to the ecliptic plane. Once these spacecraft are placed in their orbits, the orientation of the interferometers at any future time is fixed by Kepler's Laws based on the initial orientation of the spacec…
We present a perturbative reconstruction method to make a skymap of gravitational-wave backgrounds (GWBs) observed via space-based interferometer. In the presence of anisotropies in GWBs, the cross-correlated signals of observed GWBs are inherently time-dependent due to the non-stationarity of the gravitational-wave detector. Since the cross-correlated signal is obtained through an all-sky integral of primary signals convolving with the antenna pattern function of gravitational-wave detectors, the non-stationarity of cross-correlated signals, together with full knowledge of antenna pattern fun…
Future drag-free missions for space-based experiments in gravitational physics require a Gravitational Reference Sensor with extremely demanding sensing and disturbance reduction requirements. A configuration with two cubical sensors is the current baseline for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and has reached a high level of maturity. Nevertheless, several promising concepts have been proposed with potential applications beyond LISA and are currently investigated at HEPL, Stanford, and EADS Astrium, Germany. The general motivation is to exploit the possibility of achieving improve…
We analyze the sensitivities of a geostationary gravitational wave interferometer mission operating in the sub-Hertz band. Because of its smaller armlength, in the lower part of its accessible frequency band ($10^{-4} - 2 \times 10^{-2}$ Hz) our proposed Earth-orbiting detector will be less sensitive, by a factor of about seventy, than the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. In the higher part of its band instead ($2 \times 10^{-2} - 10$ Hz), our proposed interferometer will have the capability of observing super-massive black holes (SMBHs) with masses smaller than $\sim 10^{6}$…
Among the expected sources of gravitational waves for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is the capture of solar-mass compact stars by massive black holes residing in galactic centers. We construct a simple model for such a capture, in which the compact star moves freely on a circular orbit in the equatorial plane of the massive black hole. We consider the gravitational waves emitted during the late stages of orbital evolution, shortly before the orbiting mass reaches the innermost stable circular orbit. We construct a simple model for the gravitational-wave signal, in which the pha…
The orbital motion of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) introduces modulations into the observed gravitational wave signal. These modulations can be used to determine the location and orientation of a gravitational wave source. The complete LISA response to an arbitary gravitational wave is derived using a coordinate free approach in the transverse-traceless gauge. The general response function reduces to that found by Cutler (PRD 57, 7089 1998) for low frequency, monochromatic plane waves. Estimates of the noise in the detector are found to be complicated by the time variation of …
The gravitational wave (GW) has opened a new window to the universe beyond the electromagnetic spectrum. Since 2015, dozens of GW events have been caught by the ground-based GW detectors through laser interferometry. However, all the ground-based detectors are L-shaped Michelson interferometers, with very limited directional response to GW. Here we propose a three-dimensional (3-D) laser interferometer detector in the shape of a regular triangular pyramid, which has more spherically symmetric antenna pattern. Moreover, the new configuration corresponds to much stronger constraints on parameter…
We study the use of atom interferometers as detectors for gravitational waves in the mHz - Hz frequency band, which is complementary to planned optical interferometers, such as laser interferometer gravitational wave observatories (LIGOs) and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We describe an optimized atomic gravitational wave interferometric sensor (AGIS), whose sensitivity is proportional to the baseline length to power of 5/2, as opposed to the linear scaling of a more conservative design. Technical challenges are briefly discussed, as is a table-top demonstrator AGIS that is pr…
Terrestrial laser interferometers for gravitational-wave detection made the landmark first detection of gravitational waves in 2015. We provide an overview of the history of how these laser interferometers prevailed as the most promising technology in the search for gravitational waves. We describe their working principles and their limitations, and provide examples of some of the most important technologies that enabled their construction. We introduce each of the four large-scale laser interferometer gravitational-wave detectors in operation around the world today and provide a brief outlook…
Atom-interferometer gravitational-wave (GW) observatory, as a new design of ground-based GW detector for the near future, is sensitive at a relatively low frequency for GW observations. Taking the proposed atom interferometer Zhaoshan Long-baseline Atom Interferometer Gravitation Antenna (ZAIGA), and its illustrative upgrade (Z+) as examples, we investigate how the atom interferometer will complement ground-based laser interferometers in testing the gravitational dipole radiation from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. A test of such kind is important for a better understanding of the strong e…
This paper deals with the use of a magnetic levitation system as a part of a multi-stage seismic attenuator for gravitational wave interferometric antennas. The proposed configuration uses permanent magnets in attraction to balance the suspended weight, plus a closed loop position control to obtain a stable levitation. The system is analyzed using a MATLAB simulation code to compute the forces exerted by extended magnets. The validity of this model has been tested by a comparison with the experimental data from a levitated suspension prototype.
Quantifying the Scientific Potential of Intermediate and Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)(欧洲航天局(ESA),欧洲空间研究与技术中心(ESTEC));Leiden Observatory, Leiden University(莱顿天文台,莱顿大学);Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)(马克斯·普朗克引力物理研究所(爱因斯坦研究所));School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin(都柏林大学学院数学与统计学院);Department of Physics, National University of Singapore(新加坡国立大学物理系);School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow(格拉斯哥大学物理与天文学院);Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy & School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham(伯明翰大学引力波天文研究所及物理与天文学院)
As gravitational waves are now being nearly routinely measured with interferometers, the question of using them to probe new physics becomes increasingly legitimate. In this article, we rely on a well established framework to investigate how the complex frequencies of quasinormal modes are affected by different models. The tendencies are explicitly shown, for both the pulsation and the damping rate. The goal is, at this stage, purely qualitative. This opportunity is also taken to derive the Regge-Wheeler equation for general static and spherically symmetric metrics.
We develop a numerical scheme to make a high-frequency skymap of gravitational-wave backgrounds (GWBs) observed via space-based interferometer. Based on the cross-correlation technique, the intensity distribution of anisotropic GWB can be directly reconstructed from the time-ordered data of cross-correlation signals, with full knowledge of detector's antenna pattern functions. We demonstrate how the planned space interferometer, LISA, can make a skymap of GWB for a specific example of anisotropic signals. At the frequency higher than the characteristic frequency $f_*=1/(2πL)$, where $L$ is the…
Waveform Modelling for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics(Perimeter理论物理研究所);University College Dublin(都柏林大学学院);Universitat Politècnica de València(瓦伦西亚理工大学);Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics(马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所);Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics(希格斯理论物理中心);Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics(卡弗里天文学与天体物理学研究所);Johns Hopkins University(约翰斯·霍普金斯大学);University of Oxford(牛津大学);University of Southampton(南安普顿大学);SISSA(的里雅斯特国际高等研究学校);INFN Sezione di Trieste(意大利国家核物理研究所的里雅斯特分部);IFPU - Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe(宇宙基础物理研究所);Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)(马克斯·普朗克引力物理研究所(爱因斯坦研究所));Laboratoire Univers et Théories, CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Université Paris Cité(宇宙与理论实验室,法国国家科学研究中心,巴黎天文台,巴黎文理研究大学,巴黎西岱大学);Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut(理论物理研究所)
We investigate the possibility of measuring the primordial gravitational wave (GW) signal across 21 decades in frequencies, using the cosmic microwave background (CMB), pulsar timing arrays (PTA), and laser and atomic interferometers. For the CMB and PTA experiments we consider the LiteBIRD mission and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), respectively. For the interferometers we consider space mission proposals including the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), the Big Bang Observer (BBO), the Deci-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO), the $μ$Ares experiment, the Dec…
In this paper we will highlight how a simple vacuum energy dominated inflection-point inflation can match the current data from cosmic microwave background radiation, and predict large primordial tensor to scalar ratio, $r \sim \mathcal{O}(10^{-3}-10^{-2})$, with observable second order gravitational wave background, which can be potentially detectable from future experiments, such as DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO), Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA), Cosmic Explorer (CE), and Big Bang Observatory (BBO).