Presentation Title
Resonant Trojan EMRIs with LISA
Abstract
Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRI) are prospective sources for the detection of observational signals from the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, built to accurately detect and measure gravitational waves -- ripples in the curvature, and fabrics of space-time. EMRIs are typically comprised of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) one million times more massive than our Sun, and a stellar-origin black hole several orders of magnitude smaller. As the smaller black hole spirals into the supermassive black hole, thousands of gravitational waveforms serve as a precision probe for the extreme space-time curvature of the system. The goal of this research is to model the dynamics of and calculate the gravitational waveforms from “Trojan analog” EMRIs: multiple EMRIs in a single system, locked in 1:1 resonant orbits, analogous to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. These Trojan EMRIs hold a mix of unique observational potentials from those of single EMRI systems, that may be detectable from the LISA mission, while simultaneously providing detailed orbital dynamics around a supermassive black hole.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Chris Danforth
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Jeremy Schnittman (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Collaborating Mentor), Chris Danforth (University of Vermont, Graduate Student Mentor)
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Program/Major
Mathematical Sciences
Primary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Resonant Trojan EMRIs with LISA
Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRI) are prospective sources for the detection of observational signals from the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, built to accurately detect and measure gravitational waves -- ripples in the curvature, and fabrics of space-time. EMRIs are typically comprised of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) one million times more massive than our Sun, and a stellar-origin black hole several orders of magnitude smaller. As the smaller black hole spirals into the supermassive black hole, thousands of gravitational waveforms serve as a precision probe for the extreme space-time curvature of the system. The goal of this research is to model the dynamics of and calculate the gravitational waveforms from “Trojan analog” EMRIs: multiple EMRIs in a single system, locked in 1:1 resonant orbits, analogous to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. These Trojan EMRIs hold a mix of unique observational potentials from those of single EMRI systems, that may be detectable from the LISA mission, while simultaneously providing detailed orbital dynamics around a supermassive black hole.