Related papers: Lunar Silicon Cavity

Lunar Silicon Cavity

URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2602.06352v1
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2026 03:27:59 GMT
Title: Lunar Silicon Cavity
Authors: Jun Ye, Zoey Z. Hu, Ben Lewis, Wei Zhang, Fritz Riehle, Uwe Sterr, Yiqi Ni, Julian Struck,
Abstract summary: Moon's permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) are among the coldest places in the Solar System.<n>We propose to deploy a passive, ultrastable optical resonator in these regions that will enable laser systems with unprecedented phase-coherence.<n>Such a stable laser will form a basic quantum technology infrastructure in space to serve many applications.
Score: 3.4037613543160337
License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
Abstract: The Moon's permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) are among the coldest places in the Solar System and are expected to become key landing sites for upcoming international space agency missions. Their proximity to peaks of perpetual solar power and potential resource richness makes them prime candidates for lunar exploration and future Moon bases. Here we propose to deploy a passive, ultrastable optical resonator in these regions that will enable laser systems with unprecedented phase-coherence. The unique physical environment of lunar PSRs greatly benefits the construction of a cryogenic monolithic silicon cavity that exhibits low $10^{-18}$ thermal noise-limited stability and coherence time exceeding 1 minute, more than a decade better than the current best terrestrial system. Such a stable laser will form a basic quantum technology infrastructure in space to serve many applications, including establishing a lunar time standard, building long-baseline optical interferometry, distribution of stable optical signals across networks of satellites, testing general relativity and gravitational physics, and forming the backbone for space-based quantum networks.

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