A lunar gravitational wave antenna using a laser interferometer

Conference · Thu Mar 15 04:00:00 EST 1990 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (USA)

OSTI ID:6507239

Stebbins, R T; Bender, P L ^[1]

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1. Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (USA) National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO (USA)

A moon-based laser interferometer for detecting gravitational radiation could detect signals in the band 10{sup {minus}1} to 10{sup 4} Hz. A preliminary evaluation of the noise budget for an optimistic antenna design is reported here and compared to that for other planned gravitational wave interferometers. Over most of the frequency range, the sensitivity is controlled by the thermal noise in the test mass suspensions. From roughly 3 to a few hundred Hertz, it is about the same as the sensitivity expected in terrestrial antennas of the same construction, which will have been operating for at least a decade. Below 0.3 Hz, a proposed space-based interferometer, designed for operation down to 10{sup {minus}5} Hz, would have better sensitivity. As pointed out by others, the most important role of a lunar antenna would be the improved angular resolution made possible by the long baseline to terrestrial antennas.

• OSTI ID: 6507239
• Report Number(s): CONF-8905272--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (USA) Journal Volume: 202:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANTENNAS
DESIGN
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS
INTERFEROMETERS
INTERFEROMETRY
LASERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MOON
PLANNING
RADIATION DETECTORS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SATELLITES