In the first half of this talk, I will discuss how binary systems can be used as dynamical detectors of gravitational waves (GWs). Since the passage of GWs through a binary perturbs the trajectories of the two bodies, we can infer the presence of a GW signal by searching for changes in the binary's orbital parameters. In the presence of a stochastic GW background (SGWB) these changes accumulate over time, causing the binary orbit to execute a random walk through parameter space.

Black holes (BHs) cover a wide range of mass: from the stellar BH binaries detected with LIGO / Virgo to the massive BHs residing at the center of galaxies. Both these populations will be detectable in future by LISA at low-frequency. In this talk, I will provide a general overview of the current detections from LIGO / Virgo, describing the current state-of-the-art and I will highlight the potential of the LISA mission.

Among the sources which the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will observe are the signals from Massive Black Hole Binaries during their inspiral, merger and ring-down phases. To estimate physical parameters of these systems and their localisations, one has to perform some form of Bayesian Inference. The most common approach to do it is through defining a likelihood function and producing posterior samples with some form of sampling technique. The disadvantage of such sampling methods is that they are slow.

Gravitational waves have a periodic effect on the apparent positions of stars on the sky. This effect can be quantified and hence ultra-precise astrometric measurements (like the ones from Gaia) can provide a new method to search for gravitational signals.