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Abstract:
LISA is a space-borne, laser-interferometric gravitational-wave detector currently under study by the European Space Agency. We give a brief introduction about the main features of the detector, concentrating on its one-year orbital motion around the Sun. We compute how the amplitude as well as the phase of a gravitational wave are modulated due to this motion by transforming an arbitrary gravitational-wave signal in a reference frame that is rigidly fixed to the arms of the detector. To see how LISA works the detector response to a gravitational wave which is purely monochromatic in the barycentric frame will be discussed.
A brief review of the theory of parameter estimation, based on the work of Finn and Cutler, will be given. Following this theory the detection of a gravitational-wave signal buried in detector noise was simulated numerically. We interpret the results of this simulation to determine the angular resolution of LISA.
