The effects of data gaps on ringdown signals with space-based joint observation

Abstract: In space-based gravitational wave observatories such as Taiji, LISA, and TianQin, data gaps are inevitable due to mission design, implementation, and the long duration of observations. These data gaps degrade data quality and cause spectral leakage during Fourier transformations. Since ringdown signals are a key scientific objective for these observatories, it is crucial to assess the impact of data gaps on ringdown signal observations. This study employs LISA's science requirement of maintaining a duty cycle of at least 75% to evaluate the worst-case impact of data gaps, and uses massive black hole binary catalogs to assess the average effects. Our findings indicate that, on average, data gaps increase parameter estimation errors by approximately 2.1 times for the (2,2) mode and by about 1.6 times for the (3,3) mode. Joint observation is commonly employed to alleviate the impact of data gaps. Similarly, we have evaluated the effects of joint observation with two configurations, Taiji-LISA and Taiji-TianQin, which demonstrate notable mitigation of the effects of data gaps. This work provides a quantitative assessment of data gaps on ringdown signals and highlights the significance of joint observation.