Detecting eccentric Galactic white dwarf binaries with LISA

Advisor: Hang Yu

Galactic white dwarf binaries are important sources for space-borne gravitational wave (GW) observatories like LISA. Depending on the formation channel and the ambient environment, a binary may be in an eccentric orbit. In the first part of this project, the student will investigate the signal-to-noise ratio of eccentric white dwarf binaries over a large parameter space to quantify the detectability of such a system. Besides being detected as individual events, a population of eccentric white dwarf binaries may further create a GW foreground that is distinct from the foreground formed by only circular binaries. In the second part of this project, the student will aim to model the GW foreground assuming different eccentricity distributions.