Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2016
Volume 61, Number 6
Saturday–Tuesday, April 16–19, 2016; Salt Lake City, Utah
Session J12: Gravitational Wave Science Interest GroupFocus
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Sponsoring Units: DAP GGR Chair: John Conklin, University of Florida Room: 250DE |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 10:45AM - 11:21AM |
J12.00001: Revisiting the LISA science case in a changing astrophysical landscape Invited Speaker: Neil Cornish While the basic LISA concept has changed little over the past 20 years, advances in astrophysics and cosmology over this time have been dramatic. Future missions such as JWST, Euclid, WFIRST and Athena will further reshape the landscape prior to the LISA launch in the 2030s, as may discoveries by gravitational wave detectors operating in other frequency bands. These developments require us to periodically revist the LISA science case, and identify new synergies with other observatories. For example, Euclid and WFIRST are expected to detect dozens of very high redshift (z > 8) AGN, revealing the high mass tail of the early black hole population, while a suitably configured LISA mission could provide complimentary information about lower mass systems at these redshifts. Closer to home, recent surveys indicate that there are far fewer compact binary sources than originally estimated, which may be the one time where having fewer gravitational wave sources is a good thing as the foreground "noise" is reduced, while the number of resolved galactic sources is essentially unchanged. I will discuss these, and many other changes to the LISA science landscape, and consider how they might impact the science case and the mission design. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 11:21AM - 11:33AM |
J12.00002: Report from the Gravitational Observatory Advisory Team Guido Mueller As a response to the selection of the Gravitational Universe as the science theme for ESA’s L3 mission, ESA formed the Gravitational-Wave Observatory Advisory Team (GOAT) to advise ESA on the scientific and technological approach for a gravitational wave observatory. NASA is participating with three US scientists and one NASA observer; JAXA was also invited and participates with one observer. The GOAT looked at a range of mission technologies and designs, discussed their technical readiness with respect to the ESA schedule, recommended technology development activities for selected technologies, and worked with the wider gravitational-wave community to analyze the impact on the science of the various mission designs. The final report is expected to be submitted to ESA early March and I plan to summarize its content. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 11:33AM - 11:45AM |
J12.00003: NASA's Preparations for ESA's L3 Gravitational Wave Mission Robin Stebbins The European Space Agency (ESA) selected gravitational-wave astrophysics as the science theme for its third large mission opportunity, known as `L3,' under its Cosmic Vision Programme. NASA is seeking a role as an international partner in L3. NASA is: (1) participating in ESA's early mission activities, (2) developing potential US technology contributions, (3) participating in ESA's LISA Pathfinder mission, (4) and conducting a study of how NASA might participate. This talk will survey the status of these activities. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 11:45AM - 11:57AM |
J12.00004: The GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer; A inter-spacecraft laser interferometry technology demonstrator with similarities to LISA. William Klipstein, Kirk McKenzie GRACE Follow-On will replace the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, which has been measuring Earth's gravity field since 2002. Like GRACE, GRACE Follow-On will use a microwave link as its primary instrument to measure micron-level changes in the 200km separation of a pair of satellites in a following polar orbit. GRACE Follow-On will also include a 2-way laser-link, the Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI), as a technology demonstrator package. The LRI is an NASA/German partnership and will demonstrate inter-spacecraft laser interferometry with a goal of 10 times better precision than the microwave instrument, or about 90 nm/$\surd $(Hz) between 10 and 100 mHz. The similarities between the LRI and a single arm of Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mean many of the required technologies will be the same. This talk will give an overview of the LRI and the status of the LRI instruments, and implications for LISA. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 11:57AM - 12:09PM |
J12.00005: Mission and Instrument Design Trades for a Space-based Gravitational Wave Observatory to Maximize Science Return Jeffrey Livas, John Baker, Robin Stebbins, James Thorpe, Shane Larson, Alberto Sesana A space-based gravitational wave observatory is required to access the rich array of astrophysical sources expected at frequencies between 0.0001 and 0.1 Hz. The European Space Agency (ESA) chose the Gravitational Universe as the science theme of its L3 launch opportunity. A call for mission proposals will be released soon after the completion of the LISA Pathfinder (LPF) mission. LPF is scheduled to start science operations in March 2016, and finish by the end of the year, so an optimized mission concept is needed now. There are a number of possible design choices for both the instrument and the mission. One of the goals for a good mission design is to maximize the science return while minimizing risk and keeping costs low. This presentation will review some of the main design choices for a LISA-like laser interferometry mission and the impact of these choices on cost, risk, and science return. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 12:09PM - 12:21PM |
J12.00006: Preparing for LISA in the Gravitational Wave Era Shane Larson Before the end of the decade, both LIGO and Pulsar Timing Arrays are expected to make the first detections of gravitational waves, and in all likelihood will have started the compilation of the first gravitational wave catalogs. Both LIGO and Pulsar Timing Arrays observe source populations that radiate in the LISA band at other points in their evolutionary history. In this talk, we'll discuss how early detections of supermassive black hole binaries (by PTAs) and ultra-compact binary mergers (by LIGO) will be important players in understanding the scope of LISA science. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 12:21PM - 12:33PM |
J12.00007: LISA Pathfinder: A Mission Status Martin Hewitson On December 3rd at 04:04\,UTC, The European Space Agency launched the LISA Pathfinder satellite on board a VEGA rocket from Kourou in French Guiana. After a series of orbit raising manoeuvres and a 2 month long transfer orbit, LISA Pathfinder arrived at L1. Following a period of commissioning, the science operations commenced at the start of March, beginning the demonstration of technologies and methodologies which pave the way for a future large-scale gravitational wave observatory in space. This talk will present the scientific goals of the mission, discuss the technologies being tested, elucidate the link to a future space-based observatory, such as LISA, and present preliminary results from the in-orbit operations and experiments. [Preview Abstract] |
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