Unified model for the LISA measurements and instrument simulations

Bayle, J.-B. and Hartwig, O. (2023) Unified model for the LISA measurements and instrument simulations. Physical Review D, 107(8), 083019. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.107.083019)

Abstract

LISA is a space-based mHz gravitational-wave observatory, with a planned launch in 2034. It is expected to be the first detector of its kind, and will present unique challenges in instrumentation and data analysis. An accurate preflight simulation of LISA data is a vital part of the development of both the instrument and the analysis methods. The simulation must include a detailed model of the full measurement and analysis chain, capturing the main features that affect the instrument performance and processing algorithms. Here, we propose a new model that includes, for the first time, proper relativistic treatment of reference frames with realistic orbits, a model for onboard clocks and clock synchronization measurements, proper modeling of total laser frequencies (including laser locking), frequency planning and Doppler shifts, better treatment of onboard processing, and updated noise models. We then introduce two implementations of this model, lisanode and lisa instrument. We demonstrate that TDI processing successfully recovers gravitational-wave signals from the significantly more realistic and complex simulated data. lisanode and lisa instrument are already widely used by the LISA community and, for example, currently provide the mock data for the LISA data challenges.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: J.B.B. gratefully acknowledges support from UK Space Agency (grant ST/X002136/1), the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), the Central National pour la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Université Paris Diderot. J.B.B. has been supported by an appointment to the NASA Postdoctoral Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, administered by Universities Space Research Association under contract with NASA. Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). O.H. gratefully acknowledges support by Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) and by the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR, German Space Agency) with funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy based on a resolution of the German Bundestag (Project Ref. No. 50OQ1601 and 50OQ1801). This work was supported by the Programme National GRAM of CNRS/INSU with INP and IN2P3 co-funded by CNES.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bayle, Dr Jean-Baptiste
• Authors: Bayle, J.-B., and Hartwig, O.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Physical Review D
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• ISSN: 2470-0010
• ISSN (Online): 2470-0029
• Published Online: 11 April 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 American Physical Society
• First Published: First published in Physical Review D 107(8): 083019
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License