TY - JOUR
T1 - Massive black-hole binary inspirals
T2 - Results from the LISA parameter estimation taskforce
AU - Arun, K. G.
AU - Babak, Stas
AU - Berti, Emanuele
AU - Cornish, Neil
AU - Cutler, Curt
AU - Gair, Jonathan
AU - Hughes, Scott A.
AU - Iyer, Bala R.
AU - Lang, Ryan N.
AU - Mandel, Ilya
AU - Porter, Edward K.
AU - Sathyaprakash, Bangalore S.
AU - Sinha, Siddhartha
AU - Sintes, Alicia M.
AU - Trias, Miquel
AU - Van Broeck, Chris Den
AU - Volonteri, Marta
PY - 2009/5/7
Y1 - 2009/5/7
N2 - 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 gravitationalwave 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.
AB - 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 gravitationalwave 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.
KW - gravitational self-force
KW - gravitational waves
KW - black holes (astronomy)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954619872&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/0264-9381/26/9/094027
DO - 10.1088/0264-9381/26/9/094027
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77954619872
SN - 0264-9381
VL - 26
SP - 1
EP - 14
JO - Classical and Quantum Gravity
JF - Classical and Quantum Gravity
IS - 9
M1 - 094027
ER -