Parameter estimation of binary compact objects with LISA: Effects of time-delay interferometry, Doppler modulation, and frequency evolution

Abstract

We study the limits on how accurately LISA will be able to estimate the parameters of low-mass compact binaries, comprising white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs) or black holes (BHs), while battling the amplitude, frequency, and phase modulations of their signals. We show that Doppler-phase modulation aids sky-position resolution in every direction, improving it especially for sources near the poles of the ecliptic coordinate system. However, it increases the frequency estimation error by a factor of over 1.5 at any sky position, and at f=3 mHz. Since accounting for Doppler-phase modulation is absolutely essential at all LISA frequencies and for all chirp masses in order to avoid a fractional loss of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of more than 30%, LISA science will be simultaneously aided and limited by it. For a source with f > 2.5mHz, searching for its frequency evolution for 1 year worsens the error in the frequency estimation by a factor of over 3.5 relative to that of sources with f < 1mHz. Increasing the integration time to 2 years reduces this relative error factor to about 2, which still adversely affects the resolvability of the galactic binary confusion noise. Thus, unless the mission lifetime is increased several folds, the only other recourse available for reducing the errors is to exclude the chirp parameter from ones search templates. Doing so improves the SNR-normalized parameter estimates. This works for the lightest binaries since their SNR itself does not suffer from that exclusion. However, for binaries involving a neutron star, a black hole, or both, the SNR and, therefore, the parameter estimation, can take a significant hit, thus, severely affecting the ability to resolve such members in LISA's confusion noise.