# Multi-band gravitational wave astronomy: science with joint space- and ground-based observations of black hole binaries

## TL;DR

This paper explores the scientific potential of joint space- and ground-based gravitational wave observations of black hole binaries, highlighting how multi-band detection can enhance astrophysics, tests of gravity, and cosmology.

## Contribution

It reviews recent investigations into multi-band gravitational wave sources, emphasizing their importance for multi-messenger astronomy and fundamental physics.

## Key findings

- LISA can detect thousands of inspiralling black hole binaries.
- Many sources will produce signals detectable by both LISA and aLIGO.
- Multi-band observations enable new tests of gravity and cosmology.

## Abstract

Soon after the observation of the first black hole binary (BHB) by advanced LIGO (aLIGO), GW150914, it was realised that such a massive system would have been observable in the milli-Hz (mHz) band few years prior to coalescence. Operating in the frequency range 0.1-100 mHz, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) can potentially detect up to thousands inspiralling BHBs, based on the coalescence rates inferred from the aLIGO first observing run (O1). The vast majority of them (those emitting at $f<10$ mHz) will experience only a minor frequency drift during LISA lifetime, resulting in signals similar to those emitted by galactic white dwarf binaries. At $f>10$ mHz however, several of them will sweep through the LISA band, eventually producing loud coalescences in the audio-band probed by aLIGO. This contribution reviews the scientific potential of these new class of LISA sources which, in the past few months, has been investigated in several contexts, including multi-messenger and multi-band gravitational wave astronomy, BHB astrophysics, tests of alternative theories of gravity and cosmography.