Space-Based Gravitational Wave Detectors  

In General > s.a. gravitational-wave interferometers.
* Advantages: They can detect low-frequency gravitational waves, f ~ 10−4 to 1 Hz.
@ General references: Caldwell et al PRD(99)ap/98 [cmb polarization missions as gravitational wave detectors]; Larson et al PRD(00)gq/99 [sensitivity]; Moore & Hellings PRD(02)gq/99 [angular resolution]; Larson et al PRD(02)gq [unequal arm length]; Rubbo et al PRD(04)gq/03 [modeling]; Gair et al LRR(13)-a1212 [low-frequency detectors]; Vitale GRG(14)-a1404 [rev]; Porter proc(14)-a1406 [challenges]; Gair proc(14)-a1407 [scientific potential]; Ni IJMPD(16)-a1610-ch [rev]; Caldwell et al a1903-wp [and cosmology]; Cornish et al a1904-wp [discovery potential].
@ Theory: Poisson PRD(96) [black-hole parameters]; Berti et al a1903-wp [probes of fundamental physics]; Zhang et al a2102 [detecting polarization].
@ And gravitational-wave background: Cornish & Larson CQG(01)gq; Smith et al PRD(06)ap/05 [from inflation]; Caprini et al a1906; Barish et al a2012 [midband detectors].
@ Time-delay interferometry: Tinto et al PRD(03)gq [LISA], PRD(04)gq/03; Tinto & Dhurandhar LRR(05)gq/04.

LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) > s.a. gravitational-wave background.
* Idea: Proposed in 1995; Three identical spacecraft to be deployed in an equilater triangle pattern with arm length L ~ 5 Mkm on a heliocentric orbit, trailing the Earth by 20°; Most sensitive in the frequency range 10−4–10−2 Hz, and is expected to be laser shot-noise limited in this range; Will look at known neutron-star binaries (16 as of 2004) for calibration, white-dwarf binaries, compact objects spiraling into galactic black holes, background (bubbles from phase transitions, cosmic strings, ...).
* Pathfinder: An ESA precursor mission (formerly known as SMART-2) with two detectors inside one satellite only, to test the system used to keep a test mass in place for a long time (LISA has now become a class of missions, rather than a single mission).
* 2004: Pathfinder launch possibly by 2008, LISA in 2013?
* 2006: LISA launch by 2016?
* 2007: ESA and NASA sign agreement for Pathfinder, due for launch to the Earth-Sun L1 Lagrange point in early 2010 [@ news sr(07)jun].
* 2008: Pathfinder to be launched in 2011, and LISA in 2018? LISA expected to see 60–70 smbh mergers per year, most at z > 10.
* 2011: ESA-NASA partnership ends [@ news disc(11)apr]; ESA studies possible smaller, European-only mission; Pathfinder in 2014? [@ news ESA(11)jun].
* 2012: LISA Pathfinder launch still expected in 2014; If all goes well, further missions may be well placed for the L2 selection around 2015, and launch around 2028.
* 2014: LISA Pathfinder launch scheduled for July 2015.
* 2015: July, LISA Pathfinder scientific payload assembled and integrated with spacecraft; Dec, Pathfinder mission to L1 successfully launched!
* 2016: Feb, LISA Pathfinder test masses successfully released; If chosen by ESA, eLISA might be launched in 2034.
@ General references: Schutz gq/97, gq/97 [intro]; Vecchio AIP(00)gq/99 [impact]; Ungarelli & Vecchio PRD(01)ap [anisotropy of background]; Danzmann & Rüdiger CQG(03); Centrella AIP(03)ap [rev]; Cornish gq/03 [demodulation]; Lobo gq/04-proc [rev]; Hughes AIP(06)gq, CQG-a0711 [rev]; Araujo et al JPCS(07)gq/06; Stebbins CQG(09)-a0904-proc [cost cutting]; Shaddock PASA(09)-a0909-conf [overview]; news SA(12)jan [prospects]; Danzmann et al a1305 [eLISA proposal]; Audley et al a1702 [ESA proposal]; Amato AJP(18)dec [orbital dynamics]; Barausse et al GRG(20)-a2001 [fundamental physics].
@ LISA symposia: issue CQG(97)#6 [1st]; issue CQG(01)#19 [3rd]; issue CQG(03)#10 [4th]; issue CQG(05)#10 [5th]; issue CQG(09)#9 [7th]; issue CQG(11)#9 [8th].
@ LISA Pathfinder: McNamara IJMPD(13); Armano et al JPCS(15)-a1412; news gm(15)dec; news esa(16)feb, nat(16)feb; Armano et al PRL(16) + Reitze Phy(16) + news PhysOrg(16), wp(16)jun, pt(16)jun [results]; news cosmos(18)feb [success].
@ Performance: Cornish & Rubbo PRD(03)gq/02 [response function]; Sylvestre & Tinto PRD(03) [noise]; Prince et al PRD(02)gq, Nayak et al CQG(03) [sensitivity]; de Vine et al PRL(10), Spero et al CQG(11)-a1102-conf [time-delay interferometry]; Smith & Caldwell a1908 [sensitivity for stochastic and deterministic sources].
@ Data analysis: Benacquista et al gq/06; Vallisneri CQG(09)-a0812-in; Porter a0910-in [overview]; Robson & Cornish a1705 [global].
@ Binary detection: Hellings CQG(03)gq/02; Cornish & Larson PRD(03)ap; Królak & Tinto gq/03/PRD; Rogan & Bose CQG(04)gq; Kilic et al MNRAS(14)-a1406 [binary white dwarf as eLISA verification source]; Katz & Larson MNRAS(19)-a1807 [black-hole detectability]; Cornish & Shuman a2005; Toubiana et al PRD(20)-a2004 [stellar mass, and tests of general relativity].
@ Supermassive black holes: Haehnelt AIP(98)ap; Berti et al PRD(06)gq/05 [ringdown]; Harry et al CQG(08)-a0804 [hierarchical search].
@ Supermassive binaries: Rhook & Wyithe MNRAS(05)ap; Glampedakis & Babak CQG(06)gq/05 [quasi-Kerr field]; Arun PRD(06)gq; Brown et al CQG(07)-a0704-proc; Cutler & Vallisneri PRD(07)-a0707; Klein et al PRD(16)-a1511 [with eLISA].
@ Other sources: Benacquista et al CQG(01)gq/00 [globular clusters]; Vinet CQG(06) [asteroids]; Binétruy et al JCAP(12)-a1201, Caprini et al JCAP(16)-a1512 [phase transitions, cosmic strings]; Seto MNRAS(16)-a1602 [binaries like GW150914, prospects]; Ricciardone a1612-proc [primordial gravitational waves]; Seto MNRAS(19)-a1909 [neutron star binaries in the Local Group]; Auclair et al a1909 [gravitational wave background from cosmic strings]; > s.a. neutron stars.
@ And tests of gravity and cosmology: Schutz et al a0903-rp; Sopuerta & Yunes a1001-MG12 [Chern-Simons-modified gravity]; Tinto & da Silva Alves PRD(10); Babak et al CQG(11)-a1011 [fundamental physics and cosmology]; Canizares et al a1209-proc [extreme-mass-ratio inspirals and Chern-Simons-modified gravity]; Korsakova et al PRD(14) [LISA Pathfinder]; > s.a. graviton; quantum-gravity phenomenology; scalar-tensor theories.

Other Missions > s.a. observational cosmology [BBO and cosmological parameters].
* Projects: 2015, After LISA, there are proposals for NASA's Big Bang Observatory (BBO, with the primary goal of searching for gravitational waves from inflation, to be launched around 2020?), smaller detectors with more powerful lasers for gravitational-wave background with f around 1 Hz (to fill the gap between LIGO and LISA), for example from slow roll inflation and Advanced Laser Interferometer Antenna (ALIA), whose main scientific goal is to study intermediate mass black holes; Japan is studying the Deci-Hertz Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observer (DECIGO) mission; China's proposed TianQin is expected to be flown in the second half of the 2020s.
@ Various missions: Hellings CP(96) [OMEGA mission]; Cornish et al ap/02-rp [GREAT mission]; Crowder & Cornish PRD(05)gq [beyond LISA]; Corbin & Cornish CQG(06)gq/05 [BBO and gravitational-wave background]; Pulido & Ni GRG-a0704 [ASTROD]; Yagi & Tanaka PTP(10)-a0910 [DECIGO/BBO and alternative theories of gravity]; Luo et al CQG(16)-a1512 and CQG+, Mei et al a2008-PTEP [TianQin proposal].
@ Other proposals: Verozub CQG(00)-a0904 [superconducting low-frequency detector]; Nishizawa et al PRD(12)-a1110 [future detectors and cosmology]; Baker & Thorpe PRL(12), Bender PRD(14) [atom interferometers vs light interferometers]; Tinto et al CQG(15)-a1410 [geostationary gravitational-wave-interferometer detector array]; Lerner a1807 [entangled-path interferometer]; Shuman & Cornish a2105 [dual networks of space-based detectors].

Online Resources > see NASA page.

main page – abbreviations – journals – comments – other sites – acknowledgements
send feedback and suggestions to bombelli at olemiss.edu – modified 9 may 2021