Moon's Potential as a Gravitational Wave Detector Explored

Recent research has explored the Moon's potential response to gravitational waves, suggesting the use of seismic detectors on the lunar surface to detect these waves in the intermediate frequency range between milliHertz (mHz) and Hertz (Hz). The study, conducted by M. Kachelriess and M. P. Nødtvedt, employs three different spherically symmetric models of the lunar interior to analyze how the Moon reacts to gravitational waves under both Einstein gravity and Jordan-Brans-Dicke gravity.

The findings indicate that the fundamental frequency of the Moon's response, denoted as ν₁, is approximately 1 millisecond for both spheroidal and toroidal oscillations. However, the displacement resulting from these oscillations can vary significantly, ranging from 2.7 to 5.6 × 10¹¹/h₀ cm for spheroidal oscillations, depending on the amplitude h₀. In contrast, toroidal oscillations are found to be suppressed by a factor of 2πνR/c, applicable to both Einstein gravity and general scalar-tensor theories.

This research could have implications for future gravitational wave detection strategies, particularly in utilizing the Moon as a platform for seismic measurements. The results may enhance our understanding of gravitational wave sources and improve detection methods, potentially leading to new discoveries in astrophysics.

For further details, the paper titled "Lunar response to gravitational waves" can be accessed at arXiv:2312.11665.