Telescope Design for LISA

Abstract: The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Mission Proposal was selected in June 2017 for the L3 opportunity as part of ESA’s Cosmic Visions Program. A space-based gravitational wave observatory requires optical telescopes to enable displacement measurements between pairs of drag-free proof masses with a precision of approximately 10 picometers/Hz over separations of 2.5 million km. We describe the somewhat unusual requirements for these telescopes and a proposed design that would meet the…