Gravitational Wave Astrophysics in the Mid-band: progenitors and pre-merger localizations of Advanced LIGO/Virgo binary-merger events
Abstract
We consider the scientific potential of gravitational wave (GW) observations in the 30 mHz to 3 Hz frequency range with the Mid-band Atomic Gravitational-wave Interferometric Sensor (MAGIS). MAGIS is a probe-class space-mission concept, using an atom-based gravitational wave detector, that will provide all- sky strain sensitivities of 1E-21 sqrt(Hz) and better (1-year) in the GW-frequency mid-band between the LISA/L3 detector (planned 2034 launch) and ground-based Advanced LIGO/Virgo interferometers. Primary gravitational wave astrophysics science in the mid-band include GW observations of the binary black hole population discovered by Advanced LIGO/Virgo at higher-frequencies, prior to their merger stage. For such systems, MAGIS will observe the binaries in their inspiral phase, where system parameters such as eccentricities are most easily constrained, and will provide pre-merger, degree-scale localizations that would enable electromagnetic observations of possible precursor emission 1-week to 1-month prior to their mergers as well as prompt post-merger transient emission. Joint GW- observations with MAGIS and Advanced LIGO/Virgo covering all stages of binary coalescence will further reduce uncertainties in the GW- localizations and distances, and will be powerful paired with galaxy catalogs, to enable unique galaxy counterpart identifications in the case black hole binary mergers are completely absent of detectable electromagnetic precursor or transient signals. These possibilities for MAGIS extend to neutron star binary systems (black hole - neutron star, neutron star - neutron star), and mid-band prospects for such systems will also be considered. Importantly, the full sequence of binary evolution of Advanced LIGO/Virgo merger events through the GW mid-band and post-merger electromagnetic follow-up, will unfold within PhD-timescales.The MAGIS team is a collaboration between institutes in the U.S. including Stanford, AOSense, Harvard, NASA/GSFC, NASA/JPL, NIST, NRL, and UC Berkeley, and international partners at Birmingham, Bordeaux, CNRS, Dusseldorf, Ecole Normale Superieure, Florence, Hannover, and Ulm University.
- Publication:
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42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018cosp...42E.626C