StarTalk Radio Gravity’s Cosmic Symphony with Kelly Holley-Bockelmann
Sep 16, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, a Physics Professor and chair of NASA's LISA study team, dives into the groundbreaking capabilities of the LISA initiative for detecting gravitational waves. She explores the nuances between black holes and the merging galaxies that fuel ongoing research. The dialogue highlights the importance of early education savings for future explorers, while discussing the challenges of funding and international collaboration that could shape the future of space exploration.
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Why LISA Goes To Space
- LISA is a space-based interferometer with 2.5 million km arms to detect lower-frequency, more massive gravitational-wave sources than LIGO.
- Placing detectors in space lets LISA probe massive black hole mergers and hour-scale binaries impossible for Earth-based arrays.
Laser Timing Measures Spacetime Ripples
- LISA measures distance changes by timing lasers sent between three free-falling test masses in independent orbits around the Sun.
- The detector detects gravitational waves as deviations in those precise light-travel times between nodes.
A New Frequency Window Brings Surprises
- LISA will detect a rich population: stellar compact binaries, extreme mass ratio inspirals, and massive black hole mergers across hours to millions-of-years timescales.
- Opening this frequency window will reveal unexpected phenomena beyond current predictions.