Cosmic Rays and the Askaryan Effect Reveal Subsurface Structure and Buried Ice on the Moon

Abstract We present the first full‐wavelength numerical simulations of the electric field generated by cosmic ray impacts into the Moon. Billions of cosmic rays fall onto the Moon every year. Ultra‐high energy cosmic ray impacts produce secondary particle cascades within the regolith and subsequent coherent, wide‐bandwidth, linearly‐polarized radio pulses by the Askaryan Effect. Observations of the cosmic ray particle shower radio emissions can reveal subsurface structure on the Moon and enable the broad and deep prospecting necessary to confirm or refute the existence of polar ice deposits. Our simulations show that the radio emissions and reflections could reveal ice layers as thin as 10 cm and buried under regolith as deep as 9 m. The Askaryan Effect presents a novel and untapped opportunity for characterizing buried lunar ice at unprecedented depths and spatial scales.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2025-03-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl113304
Primary Topic
Planetary Science and Exploration
Type
article
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Cosmic Rays and the Askaryan Effect Reveal Subsurface Structure and Buried Ice on the Moon

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Cosmic Rays and the Askaryan Effect Reveal Subsurface Structure and Buried Ice on the Moon

P. G. Lucey, Keith McBride, P. W. Gorham, E. S. Costello, Paul Linton, Julie Rolla, R. R. Ghent, Eric Oberla, Andrew Ludwig, C. Miki, C. J. Tai Udovicic, A. Romero‐Wolf, A. Jung
article en

Abstract

Abstract We present the first full‐wavelength numerical simulations of the electric field generated by cosmic ray impacts into the Moon. Billions of cosmic rays fall onto the Moon every year. Ultra‐high energy cosmic ray impacts produce secondary particle cascades within the regolith and subsequent coherent, wide‐bandwidth, linearly‐polarized radio pulses by the Askaryan Effect. Observations of the cosmic ray particle shower radio emissions can reveal subsurface structure on the Moon and enable the broad and deep prospecting necessary to confirm or refute the existence of polar ice deposits. Our simulations show that the radio emissions and reflections could reveal ice layers as thin as 10 cm and buried under regolith as deep as 9 m. The Askaryan Effect presents a novel and untapped opportunity for characterizing buried lunar ice at unprecedented depths and spatial scales.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 52(6)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US), Planetary Science Institute (US), University of Hawaii System (US), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US), University of Chicago (US), Ohio University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 95%
Planetary Science and Exploration
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