High-Power AM-CW Lunar Laser Ranging as a $μ$Hz SGWB Detector
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arXiv
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866914532282073088 |
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| author | Turyshev, Slava G. |
| author_facet | Turyshev, Slava G. |
| contents | The Earth--Moon binary is a resonant detector for stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) at harmonics of the lunar orbital frequency. We quantify high-power amplitude-modulated continuous-wave lunar laser ranging (AM-CW LLR) as a $μ$Hz SGWB probe. The dominant low-eccentricity response is at $f_2=2/P_{\rm M}=0.847245\,μ{\rm Hz}$. AM-CW LLR measures radio-frequency phase on a GHz-modulated 1064 nm optical carrier reflected by lunar corner cubes, giving range and range rate observables. With an $80\,μ{\rm m}$ absolute range uncertainty, a 5-year campaign with statistically independent AM-CW phase-normal-point rate of $ν_{\rm eff}=500\,{\rm yr}^{-1}$ has response-calibrated sensitivity $Ω_{\rm gw}^{95}=5.29\times10^{-9}D_{\rm cov}$; a mature implementation with $σ_R=50\,μ{\rm m}$ gives $2.07\times10^{-9}D_{\rm cov}$, where $D_{\rm cov}\ge1$ is a covariance-degradation factor for time-correlated residuals and nuisance-parameter correlations in the global solution. Anticipated first-order phase-transition and compact-binary signals lie above the nominal 5-$σ$ covariance-amplitude threshold for $D_{\rm cov}\lesssim3.6$ and $5.4$, respectively, in the $80\,μ{\rm m}$ case, and for $D_{\rm cov}\lesssim9.1$ and $13.7$ in the $50\,μ{\rm m}$ case. Thus the experiment is a sharp covariance test: absolute range carries the SGWB signal, while range rate and multi-reflector differential data determine whether nuisance correlations keep $D_{\rm cov}$ below the discovery margins. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_04110 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | High-Power AM-CW Lunar Laser Ranging as a $μ$Hz SGWB Detector Turyshev, Slava G. General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics The Earth--Moon binary is a resonant detector for stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) at harmonics of the lunar orbital frequency. We quantify high-power amplitude-modulated continuous-wave lunar laser ranging (AM-CW LLR) as a $μ$Hz SGWB probe. The dominant low-eccentricity response is at $f_2=2/P_{\rm M}=0.847245\,μ{\rm Hz}$. AM-CW LLR measures radio-frequency phase on a GHz-modulated 1064 nm optical carrier reflected by lunar corner cubes, giving range and range rate observables. With an $80\,μ{\rm m}$ absolute range uncertainty, a 5-year campaign with statistically independent AM-CW phase-normal-point rate of $ν_{\rm eff}=500\,{\rm yr}^{-1}$ has response-calibrated sensitivity $Ω_{\rm gw}^{95}=5.29\times10^{-9}D_{\rm cov}$; a mature implementation with $σ_R=50\,μ{\rm m}$ gives $2.07\times10^{-9}D_{\rm cov}$, where $D_{\rm cov}\ge1$ is a covariance-degradation factor for time-correlated residuals and nuisance-parameter correlations in the global solution. Anticipated first-order phase-transition and compact-binary signals lie above the nominal 5-$σ$ covariance-amplitude threshold for $D_{\rm cov}\lesssim3.6$ and $5.4$, respectively, in the $80\,μ{\rm m}$ case, and for $D_{\rm cov}\lesssim9.1$ and $13.7$ in the $50\,μ{\rm m}$ case. Thus the experiment is a sharp covariance test: absolute range carries the SGWB signal, while range rate and multi-reflector differential data determine whether nuisance correlations keep $D_{\rm cov}$ below the discovery margins. |
| title | High-Power AM-CW Lunar Laser Ranging as a $μ$Hz SGWB Detector |
| topic | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.04110 |