Logo Frequently Asked Questions

About the consortium

What is the LISA timeline?

The next milestone for the LISA mission is adoption of the mission by ESA. This is currently foreseen for November 2023 and – if successful – will lead to a launch in the mid-2030s.

How is the LISA Consortium organised?

The consortium is governed by the Board, which delegates the daily running to the Executive Committee. The activities are split under the Formulation Management Team (FMT) and the LISA Science Group (LSG). The FMT coordinates the hardware and data processing activities that the consortium will deliver to ESA. The LSG coordinates the consortium activities that are taking place in the work package teams and also coordinates the science working groups. The consortium also has consortium-wide committees: the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee, the Membership Management Team, the Publication and Presentation Committee, the Advocacy & Outreach Committee and the LISA Early Career Scientists (see also the userguide).

Joining the consortium, types of membership, and updating your membership details

How do I join the Consortium?

If you want to join as the leader of an external group (even if you are on your own), go to the sign-up page, download the spreadsheet and upload it with the required information. If you want to join through an existing external group, contact the group leader who will submit an updated spreadsheet on your behalf. Relevant documentation about LISA, the different types of membership, and the responsibilities associated with membership can be found at the sign-up page.

What is the difference between associate member and full member?

Full members contribute to official LISA consortium products and deliverables, committing substantial time to work for the consortium. Associate members are people that are interested in LISA and want to be informed and take part in consortium activities via one or more of the working groups.

I am a PhD student at an institution without a LISA group - can I join the Consortium?

Usually, the PhD supervisor vouches for the PhD student’s contribution to the LISA Consortium. However, if the supervisor is not in the Consortium and there is no LISA external group at your institution, your supervisor may consider creating a new external group and join LISA together with you. Note that PhD students cannot create a new external group by themselves. The alternative is to contact a group at another institution and ask someone acquainted with your work to add you to their group. In this case, please contact the Membership Management Team and let us know about your situation. Your application will undergo an extra review as a result.

I have changed affiliation: do I have to change my membership and how?

You do not, but the leaders of your former and present external group should communicate the change to the Membership Management Team. Note that, even if you change institute, as far as the LISA database is concerned you can stay affiliated to your former group, if its LISA group leader agrees.

Can I change my information in the LISA Directory (username, password, affiliation, etc.)?

You can change your password in your personal directory page. If you want to modify any other information, please contact the Membership Management Team.

How do I update the members of my groups?

If you want to either add a new member or to move a member from another group, contact the MMT following information and procedure described here.

Contributing to LISA

How do I learn more about or get involved in a certain aspect of LISA science?

A good starting point is the proposal for the LISA mission submitted to ESA, here you can find an overview of the science, of the plans for data analysis and of the instrument. The Working Groups of the LISA Science Group produce whitepapers that summarize various aspects of LISA science. They are part of a Topical Collection on LISA Science published in Living Reviews in Relativity and they are updated regularly, every 2-3 years. The first version is being released now: Astrophysics, Cosmology, Fundamental Physics, with Waveforms and LISA Data Challenge coming soon.

What are the Working Groups and how do I join one?

The role of Working Groups (WGs) is to provide forums for free scientific exchanges and collaborative research, for training and professional development, and to help define the LISA science analysis by authoring whitepapers for the science prioritization process. You can join a WG when you sign up for the Consortium or by emailing the chairs of the WG. You can find their email addresses in the LISA directory.

What are the Work Package Teams and how can I contribute?

Work Package Teams (WPTs) are groups of full members of the consortium that work on one of the work packages. Work packages are part of the LSG official products, and in some cases deliverables from the consortium to ESA. The work packages are described in the LISA Science Group Work Packages document, also known as the Edinburgh document, which can be found here (you will need your LISA wiki username and password to gain access).

LISA Data Challenge (LDC)

How do I access the LDC data?

Register to the LDC website here.

How do I access the LDC codes?

You need first an account on gitlab.in2p3.fr: see instructions here. Then:

Accessing services and account management

How do I access the different LISA accounts, and what are they for?

LISA consortium members have different accounts and corresponding passwords to manage their access to different services (e.g., the LISA directory, the LISA wiki, Atrium, and the LISA gitlab). You can find a summary on the LINCS created LISA Wiki Helpful Information page (to access the page, use the login and password that you were issued when you joined the Consortium, or contact mmt@lisamission.org if you have lost your login information).

How do I join LISA communication channels?

The LISA userguide is public, while all other channels are accessible only to Consortium members. A useful collection of resources and communication tools for Consortium members can be found on the LISA Wiki Helpful Information page (username and password to access the wiki are issued to members upon acceptance, email the Membership Management Team, mmt@lisamission.org, if you have lost or forgotten your credentials). The Consortium also has a Slack instance, please email the Membership Management Team (mmt@lisamission.org) if you wish to be issued an invitation.

How do I get access to the LISA gitlab?

Go to the LISA gitlab and use Shibboleth authentication. If this does not work , contact lisa-ldc-helpdesk-l@in2p3.fr. Emails must match your directory email. If you are not signed in and parts of the repository are public, you may need to sign in to see everything (such as the source code). If you are not signed in and it is a private repository, you'll be asked to sign in. If you are signed in and do not have access, you'll get an error suggesting the repository does not exist or the URL is wrong.

I registered on gitlab.in2p3.fr but I can’t see anything.

You probably registered using the form and not Shibboleth, so your account is blocked and we are not aware of this. Follow the procedure described here.

When clicking on a link for accessing a document I arrive on page Fédération Éducation - Recherche?

You have to log in Atrium on your web browser before clicking on the link. For that either go to atrium.in2p3.fr and click on the top on Me Connecter or directly use this link.

My question isn’t answered here yet

Who should I contact if I have further questions?

Please send an email to helpdesk@lisamission.org.

I want to propose adding a question or changing an answer in this FAQ, what do I do now?

Please send an email to the LINCS group, who have contributed many of the answers above. You can reach us at: lsg-lincs@lisamission.org.