Population Boundaries for Galactic White Dwarf Binaries in LISA's Amplitude-Frequency Domain

Abstract

Detached, inspiraling and semi-detached, mass-transferring double white dwarf (DWD) binary systems are both expected to be important sources for the proposed space-based gravitational-wave detector, LISA. The mass-radius relationship of individual white dwarf stars in combination with the constraints imposed by Roche geometries permit us to identify population boundaries for DWD systems in LISA's ``absolute'' amplitude-frequency diagram. With five key population boundaries in place, we are able to identify four principal population sub-domains, including one sub-domain that identifies where progenitors of Type Ia supernovae will reside. Given one full year of uninterrupted operation, LISA should be able to measure the rate at which the gravitational-wave frequency $f$ and, hence, the orbital period is changing in the highest frequency subpopulation of our Galaxy's DWD systems. We provide a formula by which the distance to each DWD system in this subpopulation can be determined; in addition, we show how the masses of the individual white dwarf stars in mass-transferring systems may be calculated.

23 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Evolution of Close White Dwarf Binaries
• Binary White Dwarfs as Laboratories for Extreme Gravity with LISA
• Atomic Interferometric Gravitational-wave Space Observatory (AIGSO)
• Sources and technology for an atomic gravitational wave interferometric sensor
• Constructing Synchronously Rotating Double White Dwarf Binaries
• Magnetic Interaction in Ultra-compact Binary Systems
• Population boundaries for compact white-dwarf binaries in LISA's amplitude-frequency domain