About LLI

We stand at an unprecedented time in the history of astrophysics. The first direct detection of a gravitational wave (GW) in September 2015 has opened a window into a new spectrum of data and observation and humanity’s return to the Moon promises a whole new era of science. Vanderbilt’s Lunar Labs Initiative was started to forge a frontier in space science by revealing secrets of the universe only observable from the lunar surface.

Why the Moon?

Since that first GW detection, enthusiasm for GW research has exploded. There are already earth-based observatories like LIGO and Virgo, which made the first observation of a gravitational wave. Plans are also in place for space observatories, like the ESA-led LISA program.

These are important and ground-breaking programs, but they have their limits. Gravitational wave detectors are incredibly sensitive, and Earth’s seismic noise is too loud to observe any frequency of gravitational wave lower than a few Hz. Space observatories don’t have to account for seismic noise, but they have inherent quantum limitations that make it impossible for them to survey frequencies higher than 0.1Hz.

The LLI plans to explore 70 percent of the observable volume of the universe through the 0.1-10Hz band. Luckily, the moon’s near-vacuum, lower gravity, and reduced seismic activity make it a great location to establish a GW observatory.