Characterization of the stochastic signal originating from compact binaries populations as measured by LISA

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to characterize the unresolved gravitational wave foreground noise from compact binary populations as observed by LISA, assuming ideal detection and source removal, to predict noise levels.

Contribution

It presents a generic iterative approach to estimate the stochastic foreground noise from compact binaries for LISA, under idealized detection conditions.

Findings

Predicted levels of unresolved foreground noise for LISA.

Method demonstrates how to estimate noise from astrophysical populations.

Assumes perfect source identification and removal.

Abstract

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, scheduled for launch in the early 2030s, is a gravitational wave observatory in space designed to detect sources emitting in the milli-Hertz band. In contrast to the present ground based detectors, the LISA data are expected to be a signaldominated, with strong and weak gravitational wave signals overlapping in time and in frequency. Astrophysical population models predict a sufficient number of signals in the LISA band to blend together and form an irresolvable foreground noise. In this work, we present a generic method for characterizing the foreground signals originating from a given astrophysical population of coalescing compact binaries. Assuming idealized detector conditions and perfect data analysis technique capable of identifying and removing the bright sources, we apply an iterative procedure which allows us to predict the different levels of foreground noise.