Netherlands Astronomy Conference 2026

The discovery of gravitational waves has transformed astrophysics, enabling the study of the Universe in a fundamentally new way. The next major breakthrough is expected with the launch of the European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) in the mid-2030s. By opening the millihertz gravitational-wave window, LISA will access a rich population of astrophysical and cosmological sources that are largely inaccessible by other means.
In this talk, I will provide a brief update on the status of the LISA mission and highlight its expected impact on Galactic stellar astrophysics. LISA will detect and characterise tens of thousands of compact binaries — white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes — across the Milky Way, most of which are electromagnetically faint or entirely invisible. I will show how these Galactic LISA sources enable the first gravitational-wave map of the Milky Way’s stellar remnant population and help address long-standing questions such as the nature of Type Ia supernova progenitors. Finally, I will outline my vision for strengthening and coordinating LISA science activities in the Netherlands, with the aim of building a coherent national effort that connects instrumentation, data analysis, and astrophysical modelling in preparation for LISA’s scientific return.