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Abstract:
Binaries consisting of compact objects — neutron stars, or black holes — seem likely to become the source of gravitational radiation most frequently observed in the late 1990's by the ground-based, laser-interferometric detectors now under development. The radiation comes from the orbital motion as the stars spiral together due to gravitational radiation reaction. The low frequencies observable from space make new classes of binaries detectable, such as coalescing massive black holes, and make it possible that several coalescencing systems with relatively long times to coalescence could be detected in our own galaxy. I examine the prospects for detecting such sources with various types of space-based detectors, and then consider the sorts of things we could learn from them, including new tests of general relativity.
