The Potential of Cosmic Ray Emissions for Studying Lunar Subsurface Stratigraphy
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Date
2024-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
As countries and organizations pursue endeavors beyond Earth, the desire for resources in space has increased. One of these resources is water in the form of ice. The Cosmic Ray Lunar Sounder (CoRaLS) is an experiment which could determine the presence of subsurface water- ice deposits on the Moon using radio waves generated by cosmic ray interactions, via the Askaryan effect, as a source for radar probing of the Moon’s surface. Past experiments have used radar mapping of the Moon’s surface, but this technique would help avoid scattering of the radio pulse due to surface roughness, while preserving a large surface area of data collection. Given a larger sampling size, this technique could be used to map the location and purity of ice deposits across the Lunar surface. Several past experiments have used Askaryan signals to great success. Likewise, despite the nature of the Moon’s regolith and its potential possession of scatterers, they are unlikely to present any significant problems while attempting to detect these signals. This paper aims to go over the ideas necessary for understanding the validity of this technique to detect subsurface water- ice.
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Keywords
Cosmic rays, Lunar Regolith, Particle Showers, Moon, Water Ice, Ultra High Energy