Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

TL;DR

LISA is a proposed space-based gravitational wave observatory with a triangular formation of spacecraft, designed to detect and analyze gravitational waves across a broad frequency spectrum, unveiling new insights into the universe.

Contribution

This paper proposes the LISA mission concept, detailing its design, scientific goals, and potential to observe gravitational waves from diverse cosmic sources.

Findings

LISA will detect gravitational waves from various astrophysical sources.

It will provide a new window into the infant Universe and black hole horizons.

The mission will operate in a frequency band from below 10^{-4} Hz to above 10^{-1} Hz.

Abstract

Following the selection of The Gravitational Universe by ESA, and the successful flight of LISA Pathfinder, the LISA Consortium now proposes a 4 year mission in response to ESA's call for missions for L3. The observatory will be based on three arms with six active laser links, between three identical spacecraft in a triangular formation separated by 2.5 million km. LISA is an all-sky monitor and will offer a wide view of a dynamic cosmos using Gravitational Waves as new and unique messengers to unveil The Gravitational Universe. It provides the closest ever view of the infant Universe at TeV energy scales, has known sources in the form of verification binaries in the Milky Way, and can probe the entire Universe, from its smallest scales near the horizons of black holes, all the way to cosmological scales. The LISA mission will scan the entire sky as it follows behind the Earth in its orbit, obtaining both polarisations of the Gravitational Waves simultaneously, and will measure source parameters with astrophysically relevant sensitivity in a band from below $10^{-4}\,$Hz to above $10^{-1}\,$Hz.