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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
06:14
Simulating Imaging of Large Scale Radio Arrays on the Lunar Surface
Published on: July 30, 2020
Temporal changes in the lunar soil from correlation of diffuse vibrations.
Christoph Sens-Schönfelder1, Eric Larose
1Institute for Geophysics and Geology, Universität Leipzig, Talstrasse 35, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. sens-schoenfelder@uni-leipzig.de
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|November 13, 2008
Summary
Passive seismic monitoring on the moon reveals scattered seismic waves can detect subtle lunar soil velocity changes. These changes are linked to solar heating cycles, offering new insights into lunar surface dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Geophysics
- Seismology
- Planetary Science
Background:
- Reconstructing impulse responses between passive sensors using ambient noise or diffuse waves is a recent advancement.
- Seismic waves recorded on the moon offer a unique environment to test wave propagation and scattering phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the retrieval of scattered seismic waves from lunar data.
- To utilize the sensitivity of scattered waves to monitor environmental changes.
- To investigate periodic velocity variations in the lunar soil.
Main Methods:
- Cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise recorded by passive sensors on the moon.
- Analysis of both direct and scattered (late arrival) seismic wave arrivals.
- Measurement of small time delays in passively retrieved coda waves to infer velocity changes.
Main Results:
- Successful retrieval of scattered seismic waves from lunar seismic data.
- Demonstration that scattered waves are sensitive to subtle velocity perturbations.
- Observation of periodic velocity changes in the lunar soil correlated with solar heating.
Conclusions:
- Scattered seismic waves are valuable for probing subsurface properties and detecting temporal changes.
- Passive seismic monitoring using coda waves can track temperature-induced velocity variations on the lunar surface.
- This technique provides a novel method for monitoring dynamic processes on airless bodies.
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