Searching for the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background with LISA

Explore a 20-minute lecture from Harvard CMSA where Vuk Mandic from the University of Minnesota delves into the search for the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background (SGWB) using the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Learn about this groundbreaking space-borne gravitational wave detector that will investigate the milliHertz band of gravitational waves, potentially uncovering secrets from the first minute after the big bang. Discover how SGWB, formed by many uncorrelated gravitational wave sources, could provide insights into early universe phenomena like phase transitions and topological defects. Examine the specialized pipeline developed for SGWB detection, along with the challenges in this search. The lecture covers fundamental concepts including gravitational waves, parameter estimation, Bayesian formalism, point source recovery, extended anisotropy, and galactic foreground analysis, offering a window into particle physics at energy scales beyond current laboratory capabilities.