Study Explores Lunar Response to Gravitational Waves

A recent study titled 'Lunar response to gravitational waves' investigates the potential of using seismic detectors on the Moon to detect gravitational waves in the intermediate frequency range between millihertz (mHz) and hertz (Hz). The research, conducted by M. Kachelriess and M. P. Nødtvedt, examines the Moon's response to gravitational waves under both Einstein and Jordan-Brans-Dicke gravity theories.

The study employs three different spherically symmetric models of the lunar interior to analyze the Moon's reaction to these waves. The findings indicate that the first eigenfrequencies of the models are relatively consistent, with the fundamental frequency close to 1 millisecond for both spheroidal and toroidal oscillations. However, the resulting displacement varies significantly, ranging from 2.7 to 5.6 times 10^11 cm per unit amplitude of the gravitational wave for spheroidal oscillations. Toroidal oscillations are notably suppressed in both gravity theories.

These results suggest that the Moon could serve as a valuable tool for detecting gravitational waves, providing a new method for studying these cosmic phenomena. The study's findings contribute to our understanding of gravitational waves and their interactions with celestial bodies.

For further details, the full paper can be accessed at arXiv:2312.11665.