Estimating the detectable rate of capture of stellar mass black holes by massive central black holes in normal galaxies

The capture and subsequent inspiral of stellar mass black holes on eccentric orbits by central massive black holes is one of the more interesting likely sources of gravitational radiation detectable by LISA. We estimate the rate of observable events and the associated uncertainties. A moderately favourable mass function could provide many detectable bursts each year, and a detection of at least one burst per year is very likely given our current understanding of the populations in cores of normal spiral galaxies.