The LISA Calculator was created and designed by Jeff Crowder and Neil Cornish.


About the LISA Calculator.

Other Resources: [LISA Home | LISA Science Team | LISA Simulator | LISA Sensitivity Curve Generator]


Enter Your Binary Source Parameters

Mass of first object in binary (in solar masses)

Mass of second object in binary (in solar masses)


Enter the following angular values in degrees. Binary location should be entered in J2000 ecliptic (coordinate transformations from other systems can be found here). The default location is for a source at the galactic center.

Latitude (θ) of the binary.

Azimuthal location (φ) of the binary.

Inclination angle (ι) of the binary.

Polarization angle (ψ) of the binary.

Initial gravitational phase (φo) of the binary

Initial azimuthal offset of LISA (κ)

Initial rotational offset of LISA (λ)


Choose either time to coalescence or initial frequency input

Use time to coalescence (in years)

Use initial frequency (in mHz)


Choose either luminosity distance or redshift input

Use luminosity distance (in kpc)

Use redshift


Observation time (in years)

No galactic binary noise

Include galactic binary noise using the a fit to HB (see below).

Include galactic binary noise using the TRC analysis of HBW (see below).


Use standard LISA values for arm length, number of detector vertices, shot and acceleration noise levels.

Use the values entered for a non-standard LISA type detector.

Arm length, in meters, of the detector (standard LISA arm length = 5.0e+09 m).

Use two vertices (for two Michelson detectors).

Use one vertex (for one Michelson detector).

Position noise of the detector (standard LISA laser position noise = 2.0E-11 m/sqrt(Hz)).

Acceleration noise of the detector (standard LISA acceleration noise = 3.0e-15 m/s2/sqrt(Hz)).


Galactic Binary Background (Astrophysical Noise)

The current version of the LISA Calculator includes two choices for the galactic confusion noise. Both estimates are based on the galactic model described by Bender and Hils (ref.).

The first estimate is an analytic fit to the HB spectrum.

The second estimate comes from processing a realization of the HB spectrum and simulating the LISA data analysis pipeline by regressing the resolvable bright sources. This estimate is provided by Timpano, Rubbo, and Cornish (ref. gr-qc/0504071).

If you know of other estimates for the confusion noise level, please contact (Jeff Crowder) so that they may be included in the LISA Calculator.


If you have Problems with the Calculator

This page is currently a beta test! Please email suggestions and bug reports about this page to Jeff Crowder Be sure it includes a complete list of parameters for the system you were studying -- it will greatly aid us in debugging your problem at this end.

Page Maintained by: Jeff Crowder
Email: Jeff Crowder Last Updated: February 1, 2006