Speaker: Matthew Digman (Montana State University, former OSU grad)
Title: Multi-Messenger Science and LISA Pre-Merger Alerts
Abstract:
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be the first millihertz gravitational-wave observatory when it is launched in the mid-2030s. LISA will open observing windows into several new gravitational-wave source classes, and for many sources will be able to send alerts to electromagnetic observing partners weeks, months, or even years before merger. For supermassive black home mergers (SMBHBs), pre-merger alerts will typically be O(weeks) in advance, which will allow carefully planned and coordinated survey strategies between different telescopes. For stellar-origin black hole binaries and extreme mass ratio inspirals, pre-merger alerts with precise localizations will be O(years) in advance, allowing extremely deep electromagnetic precursor observations and high cadence observations around the time of merger, giving the best possible chance of detecting faint electromagnetic counterparts associated with accretion disks or deviations from General Relativity. In this seminar, I will present work I have done building efficient, accurate data analysis pipelines to enable LISA multi-messenger science. I will show applications of those analysis pipelines to present dynamical forecasts of LISA’s capabilities to electromagnetic observing partners. I will then discuss ways in which electromagnetic observers can provide insight and collaborate on the development of pre-merger alert tools, in order to maximize the utility of the data products LISA will produce.