38th Annual Student Research Conference
Investigating Supermassive Blackhole Mergers with LISA
Thirtha Karmakar
Dr. Colin DeGraf, Faculty Mentor
We explore the relationship between merging black hole populations and the gravitational wave (GW) signals that upcoming Laser Interferometry Space Antenna (LISA) mission is expected to detect. LISA is sensitive to the millihertz GW spectrum, making supermassive black hole mergers a key focus. By linking large-scale cosmological simulations with LISA’s detection models, we estimate event rates and evaluate LISA’s ability to distinguish between cosmological scenarios. Using the TNG simulations, we analyze how merger properties influence GW signals and compute the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with LISA Analysis Tools. We generate waveforms from inspiral to ringdown, calculating SNR under different spin assumptions. Additionally, we assess detectability based on black hole mass and redshift, incorporating galactic foreground noise.
Keywords: Gravitational Waves, Black Holes, Astrophysics, Simulations, LISA, Computational Astrophysics, Data Analysis, Mergers
Topic(s):Physics
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 109-2
Location: MG 1098
Time: 9:00