The design of LISA is not yet set in stone, and finalizing the design will involve further trades to maximize the scientific return of the mission within other constraints. An effort is underway to quantify scientific return as a function of certain key design features and available cost information, to support assessment of an optimal LISA mission.

The scientific value of LISA comes from its ability to observe various classes of gravitational-wave sources. Two factors contribute to this value: the likelihood of detection of a particular source, and the intrinsic scientific interest ("coolness") of that source. The likelihood of detection is an estimate we make by combining a given mission design with our best astrophysical models. But the "coolness" of the different sources can only be assessed by polling the scientific community. That is you, and this is your chance!

You are hereby given a total of 30 coolness points to allocate among the following six classes, each class representing a particular type of observation that might come out of the LISA mission. Distribute your 30 points according to the relative degree of interest you would have in such an observation. You may assign zero points to some, or even put all your points in a single source. The six classes are:

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[ ] Detection of an isolated high-frequency (>2mHz) Galactic white-dwarf binary.

[ ] Resolution of a low-frequency (<2mHz) Galactic white-dwarf binary from the confusion background of such sources.

[ ] Detection of a supermassive black-hole (SMBH) binary merger.

[ ] Observation of such a SMBH binary system at least 6 months prior to merger (long enough to estimate sky position and distance).

[ ] Detection of an extreme-mass-ratio inspiral.

[ ] Detection of a primordial stochastic background.

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Please post your ranking on this discussion board, with your name and some information about your research interests and activities, and any other valuable comments you would like to give. The LISA Project will consider your preferences in its prioritization of LISA mission designs.

We would like to have your inputs by the end of November 2006, if possible. This will permit us to summarize results at the upcoming meeting of the LISA International Science Team in mid-December, and to report the survey results in the next issue of The LISA Newsletter.