2026/07/17 by Yulin Xia, Denis Martynov, Huan Yang +1
#astro-ph.IM
The lunar gravitational-wave antenna concept uses the Moon as a resonant detector instrumented with precision seismometers, targeting the decihertz band between ground- and space-based observatories. We propose a compact monolithic fused-silica torsional-X seismometer that re-engineers garden-gate acceleration-to-rotation transduction for this regime through a high-tension dual-fiber suspension. Its designed millihertz-scale resonance and ultra-low mechanical dissipation enable a nearly order-of-magnitude improvement around 0.1 Hz compared with existing lunar seismometer concepts. Achieving this performance requires room-temperature operation, where fused-silica exhibits low mechanical loss, together with subdominant actuation noise. We demonstrate a room-temperature vacuum prototype validating the operating principle and core mechanical design, and derive requirements for a future lunar implementation capable of approaching the target sensitivity.