Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA): Advancing the U.S. Priorities in Gravitational-wave and Lunar Science

Karan Jani; Matthew Abernathy; Emanuele Berti; Valerio Boschi; Sukanya Chakrabarti; Alice Cocoros; John W. Conklin; Teviet Creighton; Simone Dell'Agnello; Jean-Claude Diels; Stephen Eikenberry; T. Marshall Eubanks; Kiranjyot Gill; Jonathan E. Grindlay; Kris Izquierdo; Jaesung Lee; Abraham Loeb; Philippe Lognonné; Francesco Longo; Manuel Pichardo Marcano; Mark Panning; Paula do Vale Pereira; Volker Quetschke; Ashique Rahman; Massimiliano Razzano; Robert Reed; Brett Shapiro; David Shoemaker; William Smith; James Trippe; Eric Van Stryland; Wan Wu; Anjali B. Yelikar

arXiv · 2508.11631

Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA): Advancing the U.S. Priorities in Gravitational-wave and Lunar Science

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Abstract

The Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA) is a next-generation gravitational-wave (GW) facility on the Moon. By harnessing the Moon's unique environment, LILA fills a critical observational gap in the mid-band GW spectrum ($0.1 - 10$ Hz) between terrestrial detectors (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA) and the future space mission LISA. Observations enabled by LILA will fundamentally transform multi-messenger astrophysics and GW probes of fundamental physics. LILA will measure the lunar deep interior better than any existing planetary seismic instruments. The LILA mission is designed for phased development aligned with capabilities of the U.S.'s Commercial Lunar Payload Services and Artemis programs. LILA is a unique collaboration between universities, space industries, U.S. government laboratories, and international partners.

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Karan Jani, Matthew Abernathy, Emanuele Berti, Valerio Boschi, Sukanya Chakrabarti, Alice Cocoros, John W. Conklin, Teviet Creighton, Simone Dell'Agnello, Jean-Claude Diels, Stephen Eikenberry, T. Marshall Eubanks, Kiranjyot Gill, Jonathan E. Grindlay, Kris Izquierdo, Jaesung Lee, Abraham Loeb, Philippe Lognonné, Francesco Longo, Manuel Pichardo Marcano, Mark Panning, Paula do Vale Pereira, Volker Quetschke, Ashique Rahman, Massimiliano Razzano, Robert Reed, Brett Shapiro, David Shoemaker, William Smith, James Trippe, Eric Van Stryland, Wan Wu, Anjali B. Yelikar. 2025-08-15. Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA): Advancing the U.S. Priorities in Gravitational-wave and Lunar Science. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.11631

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