Work

Impact of missing data on the construction of LISA time-delay-interferometry Michelson variables

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We investigate the impact of missing input data on the construction of second-generation time-delay-interferometry (TDI) variables, which enable data analysis for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). TDI relies on the introduction of precise time delays into the raw interferometric data streams before they are combined to suppress otherwise dominant laser phase noise. We show that a single missing sample, corresponding to 0.25 s of data, will result in an effective data gap of approximately 90 s in the second-generation TDI output if further measures are not taken. This additional gap is largely independent of the initial gap duration, but it increases linearly with the order of the fractional-delay filter used for the computations. For a realistic gap scenario, incorporating both planned and unplanned data interruptions consistent with a target duty cycle of approximately 84 % , we find that frequent, short-duration gaps (e.g., a total of 1000 per year, each of which has a duration of approximately 100 s) could result in an additional loss in the TDI variables of about one day per year, corresponding to a reduction of approximately 0.3 % in duty cycle. This amounts to a loss of approximately one day of LISA data suitable for the global fit per year.

Source: Physical Review Applied

DOI: 10.1103/xpvf-syrw

Authors: Ollie Burke, Martina Muratore, Graham Woan

Institutions: University of Glasgow, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics

Language: English

Topic: Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz

Award: G2593718900