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Title: Higher signal harmonics, LISA's angular resolution, and dark energy

Journal Article · · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
 [1];  [2]; ;  [3];  [2]
  1. LAL, Universite Paris-Sud, IN2P3/CNRS, Orsay (France)
  2. Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, 560 080 (India)
  3. School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, 5, The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3YB (United Kingdom)

It is generally believed that the angular resolution of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) for binary supermassive black holes (SMBH) will not be good enough to identify the host galaxy or galaxy cluster. This conclusion, based on using only the dominant harmonic of the binary SMBH signal, changes substantially when higher signal harmonics are included in assessing the parameter estimation problem. We show that in a subset of the source parameter space the angular resolution increases by more than a factor of 10, thereby making it possible for LISA to identify the host galaxy/galaxy cluster. Thus, LISA's observation of certain binary SMBH coalescence events could constrain the dark energy equation of state to within a few percent, comparable to the level expected from other dark energy missions.

OSTI ID:
21027842
Journal Information:
Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 76, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.76.104016; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English