A Higher Probability of Detecting Lensed Supermassive Black Hole Binaries by LISA

TL;DR

This paper investigates the likelihood of detecting gravitational lensing effects caused by dark matter halos on gravitational waves from merging massive black hole binaries using LISA, finding a higher detection probability than previous estimates.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive simulation of wave-optics effects on GW signals from MBHBs caused by low-mass dark matter halos, expanding the parameter space and detection prospects.

Findings

Detectable wave-optics effects in 0.1-1.6% of MBHBs at redshifts 4-10.

Detection probability is an order of magnitude higher than previous estimates.

Non-detection would constrain the abundance of low-mass dark matter halos.

Abstract

Gravitational lensing of gravitational waves (GWs) is a powerful probe of the matter distribution in the universe. Here we revisit the wave-optics effects induced by dark matter (DM) halos on the GW signals of merging massive black hole binaries (MBHBs), and we study the possibility of discerning these effects using the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). In particular, we include the halos in the low-mass range of $\rm 10^5-10^8\, M_\odot$ since they are the most numerous according to the cold DM model. We simulate the lensed signals corresponding to a wide range of impact parameters, and we find distinguishable deviation from the standard best-fit GW templates even when the impact parameter is as large $y\simeq50$. Consequently, we estimate that over $(0.1-1.6)\%$ of the MBHBs in the mass range of $\rm 10^{5.0}-10^{6.5}\, M_\odot$ and the redshift range of $4-10$ should show detectable wave-optics effects. This probability is one order of magnitude higher than that derived in previous works. The uncertainty comes mainly from the mass function of the DM halos. Not detecting any signal during the LISA mission would imply that DM halos with $\rm 10^5-10^8\, M_\odot$ are less numerous than what the cold DM model predicts.