Abstract
Space-based detectors of gravitational waves are the next frontier of astrophysics: space allows Gm-long interferometer arms, and thus exploration of the frequency band 20\(\mu \) Hz–1 Hz. This chapter reviews the wealth of gravitational wave sources available in this band that provide a strong science case and motivation for the enterprise. We then describe the challenges of a Gm-long, space-based interferometer and the experimental strategies under development, by the LISA team, to overcome these difficulties. LISA is the most mature space-based detector, scheduled for launch in 2035, but the same technologies will be employed in other, planned missions briefly reviewed.
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Notes
- 1.
GAIA: Global Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics.
- 2.
A notable exception is the BNS event GW 170817, that had a duration of approximately 100 s.
- 3.
Laser Antena for Gravitational radiation Observation in Space.
- 4.
Spaceborne Astronomical Gravitational-wave Interferometer To Test Aspects of Relativity and Investigate Unknown Sources.
- 5.
Orbiting Medium Explorer for Gravitational-wave Astrophysics.
- 6.
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna for Gravity.
- 7.
Evolved LISA/Next Gravitational Observatory.
- 8.
The inclination and ellipticity reported here are approximations, for small values of \(\alpha \), of exact relations, for the particular case considered here: \(\tan i =\frac{\alpha }{1+ \alpha /\sqrt{3}}\) and \( e= \sqrt{1 + \frac{2 \alpha }{\sqrt{3}} +\frac{4\alpha ^2}{3}} - 1\).
- 9.
The motion of the LISA constellation can be visualized through the animated gif: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LISA_motion.gif or through the video by the Max Planck Institute for Grav. Physics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-k112InxfY. Both of them are largely not-to-scale to improve the view of the orbits.
- 10.
The optimum value is actually \(\frac{\pi }{3} + \frac{5}{8} \alpha \), given by a slightly different orbit inclination i, but we shall neglect these subtleties.
- 11.
Appendix A might be useful in refreshing some concepts about modulation.
- 12.
Authority is the maximum force or torque that an actuator can provide.
- 13.
We remind the reader that the noise spectral density \(S_h(f)\) is closely related to the inverse of the SNR.
- 14.
Here we derogate from the usual TDI convention of naming the arm with the number of the opposite spacecraft; we are just presenting an example, and privilege clarity and immediacy over completeness.
- 15.
“Reflected” is to be intended as “transponded”.
- 16.
The arm flexing occurs on time scales of one revolution, that is 1 yr, as shown in Fig. 11.4; during a light travel time, \(2T_i \simeq 16.6\) s, the constellation is virtually still.
- 17.
The Lagrange points are defined in a footnote of Sect. 6.6.1.
- 18.
This was possible because the local gravity turned out to be extremely well balanced: no serious gradient was measured on TM2.
- 19.
GADFLI: Geostationary Antenna for Disturbance-Free Laser Interferometry.
- 20.
gLISA: Geosynchronous Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.
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Ricci, F., Bassan, M. (2022). Space Detectors of GW. In: Experimental Gravitation. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 998. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95596-0_11
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