GWFish: A simulation software to evaluate parameter-estimation capabilities of gravitational-wave detector networks

Abstract

An important step in the planning of future gravitational-wave (GW) detectors and of the networks they will form is the estimation of their detection and parameter-estimation capabilities, which is the basis of science-case studies. Several future GW detectors have been proposed or are under development, which might also operate and observe in parallel. These detectors include terrestrial, lunar, and space-borne detectors. In this paper, we present GWFish, a new software to simulate GW detector networks and to calculate measurement uncertainties based on the Fisher-matrix approximation. GWFish models the impact of detector motion on PE and makes it possible to analyze multiband scenarios, i.e., observation of a GW signal by different detectors in different frequency bands. We showcase a few examples for the Einstein Telescope (ET) including the sky-localization of binary neutron stars, and ET's capability to measure the polarization of GWs.