TY - JOUR

T1 - The LISA mission

T2 - A laser-interferometric gravitational wave detector in space

AU - Danzmann, K.

PY - 1997/12

Y1 - 1997/12

N2 - The European Space Agency has selected LISA, a Gravitational Wave Observatory, as a cornerstone mission in its future science program Horizons 2000. This observatory will complement the development of ground-based gravitational wave detectors currently under construction. A spaceborne detector will enable the observation of low-frequency gravitational waves in a frequency range from 10-4 to 10-1 Hz which is totally inaccessible to ground based experiments. This frequency range is unique in that it is expected to contain signals from massive black holes, galactive binary stars, as well as the most violent events in the Universe. LISA will attain this low-frequency sensitivity by employing laser interferometric distance measurements over a very long base-line of 5×106 km. Three of these baselines form an equilateral triangle with spacecraft at each vertex. The cluster of spacecraft is in an earth-like orbit around the sun trailing the earth by 20°. The spacecraft contain infrared light-emitting Nd-YAG lasers and freely floating test masses made from a special platinum-gold alloy with vanishing magnetic susceptibility. The spacecraft are being kept centered on their test masses using drag-free technology and field-emission electric propulsion, thus letting the test masses follow purely inertial orbits.

AB - The European Space Agency has selected LISA, a Gravitational Wave Observatory, as a cornerstone mission in its future science program Horizons 2000. This observatory will complement the development of ground-based gravitational wave detectors currently under construction. A spaceborne detector will enable the observation of low-frequency gravitational waves in a frequency range from 10-4 to 10-1 Hz which is totally inaccessible to ground based experiments. This frequency range is unique in that it is expected to contain signals from massive black holes, galactive binary stars, as well as the most violent events in the Universe. LISA will attain this low-frequency sensitivity by employing laser interferometric distance measurements over a very long base-line of 5×106 km. Three of these baselines form an equilateral triangle with spacecraft at each vertex. The cluster of spacecraft is in an earth-like orbit around the sun trailing the earth by 20°. The spacecraft contain infrared light-emitting Nd-YAG lasers and freely floating test masses made from a special platinum-gold alloy with vanishing magnetic susceptibility. The spacecraft are being kept centered on their test masses using drag-free technology and field-emission electric propulsion, thus letting the test masses follow purely inertial orbits.

KW - Gravitational waves

KW - Laser interferometer

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=5244352842&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:5244352842

SP - 247

EP - 252

JO - European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP

JF - European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP

SN - 0379-6566

IS - 420

ER -