Research

The Trento LISA group has the role of PI (“responsabile scientifico”) for the Italian hardware contribution towards the development of the LISA mission.

Our specific expertise is the set of free-falling test masses that comprises the LISA “antenna”, which is the key to the LISA gravitational wave science return, particularly for supermassive black holes, at all frequencies below 5 mHz. Our research interest starts with the development of hardware and measurement techniques for space, and their experimental verification on ground, but has grown to include preparation for operations and data analysis while LISA is in orbit.

We are currently preparing for a launch in 2035, with an important milestone of “ESA mission adoption” by ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) and the other national agencies in January 2024. This work is supported by ASI and INFN, with additional dedicated grants from ESA and the Italian Ministry.

Our current research moving towards LISA includes:

• Development of the LISA Gravitational Reference System (GRS): free-falling test masses for measuring gravitational wave tidal forces

• Laboratory investigation of the small spurious forces that limit the purity of free-fall

• The LISA Pathfinder “Einstein Geodesic Explorer”:  what we are (still) learning from the in-orbit measurement of differential acceleration

• Achieving, optimizing and measuring free-fall in the LISA constellation: preparing for LISA operations and data analysis

• Test-mass release design and testing: Injecting into free-fall

• Test mass charging from cosmic ray and solar charged particles
  
  

Staff contacts for research opportunities: Bill Weber (Dip. Fisica), Rita Dolesi (Dip. Fisica), Daniele Bortoluzzi (Dip. Ing. Industriale)