LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is a joint NASA/ESA mission to detect and observe gravitational waves in space. Topics discussed in this sixth symposium include: fundamental gravitational physics and astrophysics of LISA, gravitational data analysis, LISA instrumentation, LISA Pathfinder, and ground-based gravitational wave antennas.

The search for gravitational radiation with optical interferometers is gaining momentum worldwide. Beside the VIRGO and GEO gravitational wave observatories in Europe and the two LIGOs in the United States, which have operated successfully during the past decade, further observatories are being completed (KAGRA in Japan) or planned (ILIGO in India). The sensitivity of the current observatories, although spectacular, has not allowed direct discovery of gravitational waves. The advanced detectors (Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo) at present in the development phase will improve sensitivity by a factor of 10, probing the universe up to 200 Mpc for signal from inspiraling binary compact stars. This book covers all experimental aspects of the search for gravitational radiation with optical interferometers. Every facet of the technological development underlying the evolution of advanced interferometers is thoroughly described, from configuration to optics and coatings and from thermal compensation to suspensions and controls. All key ingredients of an advanced detector are covered, including the solutions implemented in first-generation detectors, their limitations, and how to overcome them. Each issue is addressed with special reference to the solution adopted for Advanced VIRGO but constant attention is also paid to other strategies, in particular those chosen for Advanced LIGO.

This document presents the results of a design feasibility study for LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna). The goal of LISA is to detect and study low-frequency astrophysical gravitational radiation from strongly relativistic regions. Astrophysical sources potentially visible to LISA include extra-galactic massive black hole binaries at cosmological distances, binary systems composed of a compact star and a massive black hole, galactic neutron star-black hole binaries, and background radiation from the Big Bang. The LISA mission will comprise three spacecraft located five million kilometers apart forming an equilateral triangle in an Earth-trailing orbit. Fluctuations in separation between shielded test masses located within each spacecraft will be determined by optical interferometry which determines the phase shift of laser light transmitted between the test masses. Folkner, W. M. and Bender, P. L. and Stebbins, R. T. Jet Propulsion Laboratory...

This book includes a selection of 30 reviewed and enhanced manuscripts published during the 14th SpaceOps Conference held in May 2016 in Daejeon, South Korea. The selection was driven by their quality and relevance to the space operations community. The papers represent a cross-section of three main subject areas: · Mission Management – management tasks for designing, preparing and operating a particular mission. · Spacecraft Operations – preparation and implementation of all activities to operate a space vehicle (crewed and uncrewed) under all conditions. · Ground Operations – preparation, qualification, and operations of a mission dedicated ground segment and appropriate infrastructure including antennas, control centers, and communication means and interfaces. This book promotes the SpaceOps Committee’s mission to foster the technical interchange on all aspects of space mission operations and ground data systems while promoting and maintaining an international community of space operations experts.

Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically during the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Based on a broad and comprehensive survey of scientific opportunities, infrastructure, and organization in a national and international context, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics outlines a plan for ground- and space- based astronomy and astrophysics for the decade of the 2010's. Realizing these scientific opportunities is contingent upon maintaining and strengthening the foundations of the research enterprise including technological development, theory, computation and data handling, laboratory experiments, and human resources. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics proposes enhancing innovative but moderate-cost programs in space and on the ground that will enable the community to respond rapidly and flexibly to new scientific discoveries. The book recommends beginning construction on survey telescopes in space and on the ground to investigate the nature of dark energy, as well as the next generation of large ground-based giant optical telescopes and a new class of space-based gravitational observatory to observe the merging of distant black holes and precisely test theories of gravity. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics recommends a balanced and executable program that will support research surrounding the most profound questions about the cosmos. The discoveries ahead will facilitate the search for habitable planets, shed light on dark energy and dark matter, and aid our understanding of the history of the universe and how the earliest stars and galaxies formed. The book is a useful resource for agencies supporting the field of astronomy and astrophysics, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public.

Supernovae, hypernovae and gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic explosions in the universe. The light from these outbursts is, for a brief time, comparable to billions of stars and can outshine the host galaxy within which the explosions reside. Most of the heavy elements in the universe are formed within these energetic explosions. Surprisingly enough, the collapse of massive stars is the primary source of not just one, but all three of these explosions. As all of these explosions arise from stellar collapse, to understand one requires an understanding of the others. Stellar Collapse marks the first book to combine discussions of all three phenomena, focusing on the similarities and differences between them. Designed for graduate students and scientists newly entering this field, this book provides a review not only of these explosions, but the detailed physical models used to explain them from the numerical techniques used to model neutrino transport and gamma-ray transport to the detailed nuclear physics behind the evolution of the collapse to the observations that have led to these three classes of explosions.

This book introduces the concepts of gravitational waves within the context of general relativity. The sources of gravitational radiation for which there is direct observational evidence and those of a more speculative nature are described. He then gives a general introduction to the methods of detection. In the subsequent chapters he has drawn together the leading scientists in the field to give a comprehensive practical and theoretical account of the physics and technology of gravitational wave detection.

IAU S261 summarizes the present state of applied relativity, and discusses the applications and future tests of general relativity.

From the discovery of entirely new kinds of galaxies to a window into cosmic ‘prehistory’, Bothwell shows us the Universe as we’ve never seen it before – literally. Since the dawn of our species, people all over the world have gazed in awe at the night sky. But for all the beauty and wonder of the stars, when we look with just our eyes we are seeing and appreciating only a tiny fraction of the Universe. What does the cosmos have in store for us beyond the phenomena we can see, from black holes to supernovas? How different does the invisible Universe look from the home we thought we knew? Dr Matt Bothwell takes us on a journey through the full spectrum of light and beyond, revealing what we have learned about the mysteries of the Universe. This book is a guide to the ninety-nine per cent of cosmic reality we can’t see – the Universe that is hidden, right in front of our eyes. It is also the endpoint of a scientific detective story thousands of years in the telling. It is a tour through our Invisible Universe.

Gravitational waves (GWs) are a hot topic and promise to play a central role in astrophysics, cosmology, and theoretical physics. Technological developments have led us to the brink of their direct observation, which could become a reality in the coming years. The direct observation of GWs will open an entirely new field: GW astronomy. This is expe