Black hole science with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

TL;DR

LISA, a space-based gravitational wave observatory planned for launch in the 2030s, will explore a wide range of black hole phenomena, significantly advancing astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics through its sensitivity to milli-Hz gravitational waves.

Contribution

This review highlights the scientific potential of LISA in black hole research, emphasizing its capabilities to study black hole formation, evolution, and related astrophysical processes.

Findings

LISA will detect diverse black hole sources across the universe.

It will provide insights into the formation and growth of massive black holes.

LISA will enable studies of stellar-origin black hole binaries and extreme mass ratio inspirals.

Abstract

I review the scientific potential of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a space-borne gravitational wave (GW) observatory to be launched in the early 30s'. Thanks to its sensitivity in the milli-Hz frequency range, LISA will reveal a variety of GW sources across the Universe, from our Solar neighbourhood potentially all the way back to the Big Bang, promising to be a game changer in our understanding of astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics. This review dives in the LISA Universe, with a specific focus on black hole science, including the formation and evolution of massive black holes in galaxy centres, the dynamics of dense nuclei and formation of extreme mass ratio inspirals, and the astrophysics of stellar-origin black hole binaries.