Position determination of gravitational wave sources with LISA Original Research Article

LISA is a spaceborne laser interferometer for the detection and observation of gravitational waves, currently under study by ESA. A brief introduction of the main features of this detector, concentrating on its one-year orbital motion around the Sun is given. The amplitude as well as the phase of a gravitational wave is modulated due to that motion, allowing us to extract information from the signal. The detection of monochromatic gravitational waves based on the well-known signal detection theory is simulated, focusing on estimating the angular parameters of the source. The results of the semi-analytic calculations give the angular resolution of LISA.