The experiment will attempt to capture gravitational waves on the moon | Science and health

The European Space Agency (ESA) has included a project to detect gravitational waves Its a limited list of experiments that can be performed at moon in the next years.

Research institutes in Italy are leading the “Soundcheck” mission and will seek to improve understanding of the natural satellite’s internal structure, probe the geophysical environment in the permanent shadow region and obtain the first observations of gravitational waves on the star.

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Among the entities involved in the project are the Gran Sasso Institute of Sciences, the National Institute of Astrophysics and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics, all in Italy.

The “Soundcheck” program aims to demonstrate the technological feasibility of the “Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna” (LGWA), a revolutionary experiment to turn the moon into a massive antenna to detect gravitational waves, and disturbances in the fabric of space-time caused by violence. Cosmic events involving super-dense objects such as black holes and neutron stars.

Predicted in Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, the waves were first detected in 2015 by an observatory in the United States, but the Moon could be better suited for this kind of work, as it contains some of the quietest regions on Earth. System.

To detect gravitational waves, observatories must be built in very isolated and stable locations with little human and seismic interference, because even simple movement on a highway, for example, can disrupt measurements.

The LGWA project is currently developing high-resolution lunar vibration sensors, which is a formidable technical challenge. The initiative brings together nearly 200 members from 18 countries and is directed by Professor Jan Harms, from the Gran Sasso Science Institute.

In partnership with NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) plans to make a manned landing on the Moon in 2025, on the Artemis 3 mission, to later establish a long-term human presence on the natural satellite.