Detecting classical nova-like explosions with LISA

Gravitational wave emission from close binary white dwarfs (BWDs) will form the bulk of measurements obtained by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). These signals will need to be precisely modeled to extract accurate science from the data and to minimize confusion noise. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of considering the orbital effects of mass transfer as many of these systems will undergo periods of mass transfer during the LISA observation window. These studies, however, have ignored the effects of the buildup of accreted material on the primary star. In this talk, I will discuss the effects and detectability of classical nova-like explosions in these mass transferring systems. I show that these bursts are measurable when they cause a frequency shift greater than about 1 part in 10 million and that unmodeled bursts can significantly bias measurements of the frequency and its first time derivative, thus biasing parameter estimation. Measurements of these explosions will allow the community to apply significantly tighter constraints on the galactic nova event rate than is possible through optical measurements. I show using a trans-dimensional Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm that we can accurately determine the magnitude and direction of the frequency shift from these bursts. These measurements will help the community constrain the orbital effects of a classical nova-like explosion that have been observed to cause positive and negative frequency shifts spanning several orders of magnitude in binaries with two main sequence stars. LISA data will likely provide the first direct detections of classical nova-like explosions in BWDs, allowing for potential confirmation of tidal novae and progenitors of so-called type ".Ia" supernovae, helium shell flashes roughly one tenth the size of standard type Ia supernovae.