Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna

TL;DR

The paper proposes a Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA) to detect low-frequency gravitational waves, highlighting its potential to complement space-based detectors like LISA and emphasizing the need for advanced vibration sensor technology.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of LGWA, revisiting an old idea with modern technology, and discusses its potential scientific benefits and technical challenges.

Findings

LGWA could complement LISA in gravitational wave detection.

Development of inertial vibration sensors is crucial for LGWA.

LGWA offers a unique independent science case for gravitational wave astronomy.

Abstract

Monitoring of vibrational eigenmodes of an elastic body excited by gravitational waves was one of the first concepts proposed for the detection of gravitational waves. At laboratory scale, these experiments became known as resonant-bar detectors first developed by Joseph Weber in the 1960s. Due to the dimensions of these bars, the targeted signal frequencies were in the kHz range. Weber also pointed out that monitoring of vibrations of Earth or Moon could reveal gravitational waves in the mHz band. His Lunar Surface Gravimeter experiment deployed on the Moon by the Apollo 17 crew had a technical failure rendering the data useless. In this article, we revisit the idea and propose a Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA). We find that LGWA could become an important partner observatory for joint observations with the space-borne, laser-interferometric detector LISA, and at the same time contribute an independent science case due to LGWA's unique features. Technical challenges need to be overcome for the deployment of the experiment, and development of inertial vibration sensor technology lays out a future path for this exciting detector concept.