Prospects for Memory Detection with Low-Frequency Gravitational Wave Detectors

Abstract

Gravitational wave memory is theorized to arise from the integrated history of gravitational wave emission, and manifests as a spacetime deformation in the wake of a propagating gravitational wave. We explore the detectability of the memory signals from a population of coalescencing supermassive black hole binaries with pulsar timing arrays and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We find that current pulsar timing arrays have poor prospects, but it is likely that between 1 and 10 memory events with signal-to-noise ratio in excess of 5 will occur within LISA's planned 4-year mission.