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Equations of Motion in Relativistic Gravity pp 783–812Cite as

Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals: Perspectives for Their Detection

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Part of the book series: Fundamental Theories of Physics ((FTPH,volume 179))

Abstract

In this article we consider prospects for detecting extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) using gravitational wave (GW) observations by a future space borne interferometric observatory eLISA. We start with a description of EMRI formation channels. Different formation scenarios lead to variations in the expected event rate and predict different distributions of the orbital parameters when the GW signal enters the eLISA sensitivity band. Then we will briefly overview the available theoretical models describing the GW signal from EMRIs and describe proposed methods for their detection.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In fact this formalism does not assume the force is small—there is a unique geodesic passing through any given point with a particular velocity and so any trajectory can be described as an osculating geodesic. However, the approach is most useful when the force is small since then the trajectory remains almost geodesic and parameterising it in terms of instantaneous geodesic motion is useful.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Albert Einstein Institute, Am Muehlenberg 1, 14476, Golm, Germany

    Stanislav Babak

  2. Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HA, UK

    Jonathan R. Gair & Robert H. Cole

Authors
  1. Stanislav Babak
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  2. Jonathan R. Gair
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  3. Robert H. Cole
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Correspondence to Stanislav Babak .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. ZARM University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Dirk Puetzfeld

  2. ZARM University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Claus Lämmerzahl

  3. Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Golm, Brandenburg, Germany

    Bernard Schutz

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Babak, S., Gair, J.R., Cole, R.H. (2015). Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals: Perspectives for Their Detection. In: Puetzfeld, D., Lämmerzahl, C., Schutz, B. (eds) Equations of Motion in Relativistic Gravity. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 179. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18335-0_23

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