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Studying the Coupling of Unburied Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) for Lunar Seismology

Description: 

Seismic data from previous Moon missions has been invaluable for improving our understanding of the lunar structure. However, the seismometers of the Apollo missions faced challenges due to the highly scattering lunar environment. Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) offers a potential solution with its dense spatial sampling that allows the use of array methods. Typically, DAS cables are buried to enhance coupling and to reduce atmospheric noise, but this is impractical for lunar deployment. Fortunately, the Moon lacks an atmosphere, which eliminates the concern of atmospheric noise. This makes unburied deployment a consideration, although coupling remains to be investigated.

We conduct experiments to study the cable-ground coupling of both buried and unburied fibers in a lunar regolith simulant. Using a passive approach, we deploy fibers in a trough filled with the simulant and record seismic signals from naturally occurring earthquakes. These experiments assess the impact of burial on signal quality and the influence of atmospheric noise. Additionally, we compare the signals measured with different cable types in the simulant. We successfully recorded signals from both local and regional earthquakes. The unburied DAS cable was able to record both of them. These findings suggest that unburied DAS could be a viable and efficient tool for lunar seismology, potentially simplifying deployment and overcoming scattering issues.

Session: Exploring Planetary Interiors and Seismology: Observations, Models, Experiments and Future Missions [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/17/2025

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Simone

Student Presenter: Yes

Invited Presentation: 

Poster Number: 105

Authors