CaltechAUTHORS
Published May 7, 2009 | Version public
Journal Article Metadata-only

Massive black-hole binary inspirals: results from the LISA parameter estimation taskforce

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon University of Paris-Saclay
  • 2. ROR icon Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
  • 3. ROR icon Sorbonne University
  • 4. ROR icon Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics
  • 5. ROR icon Jet Propulsion Lab
  • 6. ROR icon University of Mississippi
  • 7. ROR icon Montana State University
  • 8. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 9. ROR icon University of Cambridge
  • 10. ROR icon Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 11. ROR icon Raman Research Institute
  • 12. ROR icon Northwestern University
  • 13. ROR icon Astroparticle and Cosmology Laboratory
  • 14. ROR icon Cardiff University
  • 15. ROR icon Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
  • 16. ROR icon University of the Balearic Islands
  • 17. ROR icon University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Abstract

The LISA Parameter Estimation Taskforce was formed in September 2007 to provide the LISA Project with vetted codes, source distribution models and results related to parameter estimation. The Taskforce's goal is to be able to quickly calculate the impact of any mission design changes on LISA's science capabilities, based on reasonable estimates of the distribution of astrophysical sources in the universe. This paper describes our Taskforce's work on massive black-hole binaries (MBHBs). Given present uncertainties in the formation history of MBHBs, we adopt four different population models, based on (i) whether the initial black-hole seeds are small or large and (ii) whether accretion is efficient or inefficient at spinning up the holes. We compare four largely independent codes for calculating LISA's parameter-estimation capabilities. All codes are based on the Fisher-matrix approximation, but in the past they used somewhat different signal models, source parametrizations and noise curves. We show that once these differences are removed, the four codes give results in extremely close agreement with each other. Using a code that includes both spin precession and higher harmonics in the gravitational-wave signal, we carry out Monte Carlo simulations and determine the number of events that can be detected and accurately localized in our four population models.

Additional Information

© 2009 IOP Publishing Limited. Print publication: Issue 9 (7 May 2009); received 31 October 2008, in final form 14 January 2009; published 20 April 2009. We wish to thank Michele Vallisneri for very helpful interactions. EB's and CC's work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. CC's work was partly supported by NASA Grant NNX07AM80G. EB's research was supported by an appointment to the NASA Post doctoral Program at JPL, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities through a contract with NASA. NC is supported by NASA grant NNX07AJ61G. AS and MT would like to thank the support of the Max-Planck Society, the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia Research Projects FPA-2007-60220, HA2007-0042, CSD207-00042 and the Govern de les Illes Balears, Conselleria d'Economia, Hisenda i Innovació. SAH and RNL have been supported by NASA Grants NNG05G105G and NNX08AL42G, as well as NASA contract no. 1291617 and the MIT Class of 1956 Career Development Fund. IM was partially supported by NASA ATP Grant NNX07AH22G to Northwestern University. EKP would like to thank the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfart) for support during this work. Research at Cardiff was supported in part by PPARC grant PP/F001096/1. The Monte Carlo parameter-estimation results presented here were generated on JPL's Cosmos supercomputer. PACS numbers: 04.80.Nn, 95.55.Ym

Additional details

Identifiers

Eprint ID
14212
DOI
10.1088/0264-9381/26/9/094027
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:20090513-120710433

Related works

Describes
10.1088/0264-9381/26/9/094027 (DOI)

Funding

NASA
NNX07AM80G
NASA/Oak Ridge Associated Universities
NASA
NNX07AJ61G
Max-Planck Society
Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia
FPA-2007-60220
Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia
HA2007-0042
Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia
CSD207-00042
Govern de les Illes Balears, Conselleria d'Economia, Hisenda i Innovació
NASA
NNG05G105G
NASA
NNX08AL42G
NASA
1291617
MIT Class of 1956 Career Development Fund
NASA ATP Grant
NNX07AH22G
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfart
PPARC
PP/F001096/1

Dates

Created
2009-05-14
Created from EPrint's datestamp field
Updated
2022-07-12
Created from EPrint's last_modified field

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