On optimal LISA orbit design

TL;DR

This paper formulates the LISA orbit design as a nonlinear optimization problem using exact Kepler's equations, resulting in more accurate spacecraft configurations for gravitational wave detection.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach using exact nonlinear Kepler's equations for optimal LISA orbit design, improving upon previous simplified models.

Findings

Optimal solutions outperform previous approximations

Enhanced accuracy in spacecraft constellation configuration

Potential improvements in gravitational wave detection sensitivity

Abstract

The ESA/NASA joint LISA (laser interferometer space antenna) mission is designed to detect gravitational waves, which relies crucially on maintaining three-spacecraft constellation as close to an equilateral triangle with a designed distance as possible. Efforts have been made to achieve this goal by using various simplified models to make it easy to approximately solve the complex problem. In this paper, the problem is formulated as a nonlinear optimization problem using exact nonlinear Kepler's orbit equations. It is shown that the optimal solution based on the exact nonlinear Kepler's orbit equations gives a better solution than the previously obtained ones.