Thick Lunar Crust Amplifies Deci-Hertz Gravitational-Wave Signal
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866911703920279552 |
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| author | Zhang, Lei Yan, Han Chen, Xian Zhang, Jinhai |
| author_facet | Zhang, Lei Yan, Han Chen, Xian Zhang, Jinhai |
| contents | Gravitational waves (GWs) in the $0.01\sim1$ Hz band encode unique signatures of the early universe and merging compact objects, but they are beyond the reach of existing observatories. Theoretical models suggest that the Moon could act as a resonant detector, but the unknown influence of its rugged surface and heterogeneous interior poses a challenge to the accurate modeling of its response. Here, we address this long-standing uncertainty by constructing the first high-resolution, two-dimensional model of the lunar GW response, more realistic than previous ones. We achieve this by combining high-fidelity spectral-element simulations with the analytical power of normal-mode perturbation theory, thereby resolving topographical effects down to 2 km grid spacing while maintaining the capacity to discern global free-oscillation patterns. This dual-methodology approach not only recovers the expected predominant quadrupole ($l=2$) oscillation mode, but also exposes a systematic signal amplification in thick-crust regions. This enhancement is traced by our normal-mode analysis to a mode-coupling process, in which the original quadrupolar oscillation induced by the passing GW distributes energy into a series of higher-order modes, the hybridized eigenmodes of a laterally heterogeneous Moon. In certain narrow frequency ranges, we observe up to tenfold amplification spanning into the deci-hertz band, highlighting the power of numerical simulations in resolving these structurally fine-tuned features for designing future detectors. Our work establishes the Moon as a resonant GW detector albeit its complex topographical structures, and the resulting amplification maps provide quantitative guide for the optimal landing site selection. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_16567 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Thick Lunar Crust Amplifies Deci-Hertz Gravitational-Wave Signal Zhang, Lei Yan, Han Chen, Xian Zhang, Jinhai General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Geophysics Gravitational waves (GWs) in the $0.01\sim1$ Hz band encode unique signatures of the early universe and merging compact objects, but they are beyond the reach of existing observatories. Theoretical models suggest that the Moon could act as a resonant detector, but the unknown influence of its rugged surface and heterogeneous interior poses a challenge to the accurate modeling of its response. Here, we address this long-standing uncertainty by constructing the first high-resolution, two-dimensional model of the lunar GW response, more realistic than previous ones. We achieve this by combining high-fidelity spectral-element simulations with the analytical power of normal-mode perturbation theory, thereby resolving topographical effects down to 2 km grid spacing while maintaining the capacity to discern global free-oscillation patterns. This dual-methodology approach not only recovers the expected predominant quadrupole ($l=2$) oscillation mode, but also exposes a systematic signal amplification in thick-crust regions. This enhancement is traced by our normal-mode analysis to a mode-coupling process, in which the original quadrupolar oscillation induced by the passing GW distributes energy into a series of higher-order modes, the hybridized eigenmodes of a laterally heterogeneous Moon. In certain narrow frequency ranges, we observe up to tenfold amplification spanning into the deci-hertz band, highlighting the power of numerical simulations in resolving these structurally fine-tuned features for designing future detectors. Our work establishes the Moon as a resonant GW detector albeit its complex topographical structures, and the resulting amplification maps provide quantitative guide for the optimal landing site selection. |
| title | Thick Lunar Crust Amplifies Deci-Hertz Gravitational-Wave Signal |
| topic | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Geophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.16567 |