arXiv subjects

Jinhai Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Jinhai Zhang.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Thick Lunar Crust Amplifies Deci-Hertz Gravitational-Wave Signal

Gravitational waves (GWs) in the $0.01\sim1$ Hz band encode unique signatures of the early universe and merging compact objects, but they are beyond the reach of existing observatories. Theoretical models suggest that the Moon could act as a resonant detector, but the unknown influence of its rugged surface and heterogeneous interior poses a challenge to the accurate modeling of its response. Here, we address this long-standing uncertainty by constructing the first high-resolution, two-dimensional model of the lunar GW response, more realistic than previous ones. We achieve this by combining high-fidelity spectral-element simulations with the analytical power of normal-mode perturbation theory, thereby resolving topographical effects down to 2 km grid spacing while maintaining the capacity to discern global free-oscillation patterns. This dual-methodology approach not only recovers the expected predominant quadrupole ($l=2$) oscillation mode, but also exposes a systematic signal amplification in thick-crust regions. This enhancement is traced by our normal-mode analysis to a mode-coupling process, in which the original quadrupolar oscillation induced by the passing GW distributes energy into a series of higher-order modes, the hybridized eigenmodes of a laterally heterogeneous Moon. In certain narrow frequency ranges, we observe up to tenfold amplification spanning into the deci-hertz band, highlighting the power of numerical simulations in resolving these structurally fine-tuned features for designing future detectors. Our work establishes the Moon as a resonant GW detector albeit its complex topographical structures, and the resulting amplification maps provide quantitative guide for the optimal landing site selection.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Sculpting of Martian brain terrain reveals the drying of ancient Mars

The Martian brain terrain (MBT), characterized by its unique brain-like morphology, is a potential geological archive for finding hints of paleoclimatic conditions during its formation period. The morphological similarity of MBT to self-organized patterned ground on Earth suggests a shared formation mechanism. However, the lack of quantitative descriptions and robust physical modeling of self-organized stone transport jointly limits the study of the thermal and aqueous conditions governing MBT's formation. Here we established a specialized quantitative system for extracting the morphological features of MBT, taking a typical region located in the northern Arabia Terra as an example, and then employed a numerical model to investigate its formation mechanisms. Our simulation results accurately replicate the observed morphology of MBT, matching its key geometric metrics with deviations <15%. Crucially, however, we find that the self-organized transport can solely produce relief <0.5 m, insufficient to explain the formation of MBT with average relief of 3.29 \pm 0.65 m. We attribute this discrepancy to sculpting driven by late-stage sublimation, constraining cumulative subsurface ice loss in this region to ~3 meters over the past ~3 Ma. These findings demonstrate that MBT's formation is a multi-stage process: initial patterning driven by freeze-thaw cycles implying liquid water followed by vertical sculpting via sublimation requiring a dry environment. This evolution provides physical evidence for the transition of the ancient Martian climate from a wetter period to a colder hyper-arid state.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

Topographic Modulation of Martian Near-Surface Winds: Insights from Perseverance Measurements and CFD Modeling in Jezero Crater

Near-surface wind fields on Mars are profoundly modulated by complex topography, yet fine-scale wind field characteristics remain poorly resolved for key geomorphological units such as deltas, valleys, and impact craters, due to the spatial constraints of lander-based wind observations. To address this, we identified three dominant wind directions using measured near-surface wind data from the Perseverance rover at Jezero Crater and then integrated in-situ wind measurements with high-resolution numerical modeling. We established a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) terrain model encompassing key local geomorphic units, including the delta, an impact crater, and nearby mesas, and performed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations under the above-mentioned three dominant wind directions. The results reveal a robust coupling mechanism between local topography and near-surface wind field structures. We demonstrate that wind speed is significantly enhanced over windward slopes but evidently attenuated within depressions and crater floors. Crucially, significant wind direction deflection angles were particularly evident in areas characterized by steeper slopes. For instance, wind flow exhibited a symmetrical deflection pattern along the opposing inner walls of the modeled impact crater, but stabilizing on the crater floor. Spatial comparisons indicate that wind deflection is most pronounced over steeper slopes, while sector-based distributions within the impact crater reveal a consistent symmetry between opposing wall and floor regions. These findings offer new and critical insights into the intimate connection between Martian surface aeolian erosion/deposition processes and local topographic evolution, which is vital for interpreting the sedimentary history of Jezero Crater.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

Modeling resonance characteristics of the Chang'e-7 lander modulated by solar panel rotation under lunar south-pole thermal environment

The Chang'e-7 (CE-7) mission will deploy the first seismometer at the lunar south pole to detect moonquakes and probe lunar interior structures in 2026 winter. However, the lander's vibration response to the extreme temperature cycles of the polar environment remains unclear, complicating the analysis of noise sources in seismic records. Here, we developed a high-fidelity finite-element model of the CE-7 lander to characterize its resonant behavior under the coupled influence of solar panel rotation and extreme thermal variations. Numerical results reveal that the lander's fundamental frequency (~0.76 Hz) at room temperature drifts significantly between 0.64 Hz and 0.87 Hz when the outside temperature varies from -180 to +80 °C. This frequency drift is primarily driven by thermally induced stiffness changes in the solar array supporting bracket, whereas geometric reconfiguration due to rotation plays a secondary role. Crucially, this resonance band directly overlaps with the primary seismic observation window (usually <1.0 Hz). Sensitivity analysis further confirms that the fundamental mode remains structurally robust despite material property uncertainties. These findings establish an essential theoretical baseline for identifying and filtering lander-induced resonant noise, which will be immediately applicable upon the acquisition of the first in-situ seismic datasets from the south pole of the Moon, ensuring the high fidelity of accurate lunar interior detection.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

Super amplification of lunar response to gravitational waves driven by thick crust

The Moon has been long regarded as a natural resonator of gravitational waves (GWs) since 1960, showing great potential to fill the frequency gap left behind GW detections by ground- or space-based laser interferometry. However, the spatial variation of this amplification capacity on the Moon remains unclear. Here, we numerically simulate the lunar response to GWs by fully considering the fluctuant topography and laterally heterogeneous interior structures. Our results show that most regions on the Moon can amplify GWs with a ratio over 2, a finding significantly higher than previous estimations. Particularly, the amplification ratio can even reach factors of tens at the resonant frequency of ~0.015 Hz on the highlands surrounding the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, where the regional crust is the thickest. Our findings establish the thick-crust regions as critical zones of GW amplification, which is essential for future landing site selection and instrumental setting for GW detection on the Moon.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Numerical simulation of lunar response to gravitational waves and its 3D topographic effect using the spectral-element method

The Moon has been regarded as a natural Weber bar capable of amplifying gravitational waves (GWs) for detecting events across a wide range of frequencies. However, accurately determining the amplification effects remains challenging due to the absence of 3D numerical simulation methods. In this study, we develop a high-order 3D finite element method (spectral-element method, SEM) to numerically simulate the lunar response to GWs below 20 mHz. We verify the accuracy of our method by comparing the resonant peaks of our results with those from semi-analytical solutions and find that the frequency deviation is less than 3% for the first peak at about 1 mHz and less than 0.8% for the subsequent peaks up to 10 mHz. Using this method, we evaluate the amplification of GW signals due to 3D topographic effects of the Moon, and we find enhancements at a series of specific frequency components. These results highlight the non-negligible effect of surface topography on the lunar response to GWs, as a fundamental factor that holds significant implications across both global and regional analyses. Our work paves the way for a comprehensive evaluation of the Moon's resonant response to GWs, helpful for the strategic planning of lunar GW detections.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

2D numerical simulation of lunar response to gravitational waves using finite element method

Previous studies of the response of the Moon to gravitational waves have been carried out using analytical or semi-analytical models assuming ideal lunar structures. Such models are advantageous for their high-speed calculation but fail to account for the extremely heterogeneous subsurface and/or interior structures of the Moon. Numerical calculations are needed, but it is challenging to model the topography and lateral heterogeneity of the Moon. In addition, the computational cost is great especially when performing the GW simulation for a long time. As a first step towards overcoming the above difficulties, we employ a two-dimensional finite element method to numerically simulate the lunar response to gravitational waves. We verify our method by comparing our numerical results with those semi-analytical solutions. Based on such comparison, we also analyze the limitation of the two-dimensional simulation. Our work breaks a new way towards the precise simulation of realistic lunar response to gravitational waves in the future and lays down a solid foundation for three-dimensional numerical simulations.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2024

Constraining the stochastic gravitational wave background using the future lunar seismometers

Motivated by the old idea of using the moon as a resonant gravitational-wave (GW) detector, as well as the recent updates in modeling the lunar response to GWs, we re-evaluate the feasibility of using a network of lunar seismometers to constrain the stochastic GW background (SGWB). In particular, using the updated model of the lunar response, we derive the pattern functions for the two polarizations of GW. With these pattern functions, we further calculate the overlap reduction functions for a network of lunar seismometers, where we have relaxed the conventional assumption that lunar seismometers are perfectly leveled to measure only the vertical acceleration. We apply our calculation to two future lunar projects, namely, Chang'e and the Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA). We find that the two projects could constrain the SGWB to a level of $Ω_{\text{GW}}^{\text{Chang'e}} < 2.4 \times 10^{2}$ and $Ω_{\text{GW}}^{\text{LGWA}} < 2.0 \times 10^{-10}$, respectively, which corresponds to a signal-to-noise ratio of SNR $=3$. These results are better than the constraints placed previously on the SGWB in the mid-frequency band (around $10^{-3}- 10~\text{Hz}$) by various types of experiments.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Towards a Consistent Calculation of the Lunar Response to Gravitational Waves

The recent increasing interest in detecting gravitational waves (GWs) by lunar seismic measurement urges us to have a clear understanding of the response of the moon to passing GWs. In this paper, we clarify the relationship between two seemly different response functions which have been derived previously using two different methods, one taking the field-theory approach and the other using the tidal force induced by GWs. We revisit their derivation and prove, by both analytical arguments and numerical calculations, that the two response functions are equivalent. Their apparent difference can be attributed to the choice of different coordinates. Using the correct response function, we calculate the sensitivities (to GWs) of several designed lunar seismometers, and find that the sensitivity curves between $10^{-3}$ and $0.1$ Hz are much flatter than the previous calculations based on normal-mode model. Our results will help clarifying the scientific objectives of lunar GW observation, as well as provide important constraints on the design of lunar GW detectors.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Parallel numerical simulation of impact crater with perfect matched layers

Impact craters are the primary geomorphic features on the surfaces of celestial bodies such as the Moon, and their formation has significant implications for the evolutionary history of the celestial body. The study of the impact crater formation process relies mainly on numerical simulation methods, with two-dimensional simulations capable of reproducing general patterns of impact processes while conserving computational resources. However, to mitigate the artificial reflections of shock waves at numerical boundaries, a common approach involves expanding the computational domain, greatly reducing the efficiency of numerical simulations. In this study, we developed a novel two-dimensional code SALEc-2D that employs the perfect matched layer (PML) method to suppress artificial reflections at numerical boundaries. This method enhances computational efficiency while ensuring reliable results. Additionally, we implemented MPI parallel algorithms in the new code to further improve computational efficiency. Simulations that would take over ten hours using the conventional iSALE-2D code can now be completed in less than half an hour using our code, SALEc-2D, on a standard computer. We anticipate that our code will find widespread application in numerical simulations of impact craters in the future.

astro-ph.EP↗