Impact of lunar dust on silica suspension fibers

Determine how lunar regolith dust contamination affects fused silica fibers used in the Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA) Horizon suspension system, specifically whether dust reduces the fibers' breaking stress and whether it alters their thermal noise properties.

Background

LILA Horizon proposes room-temperature suspensions that use fused silica fibers to support test masses on the lunar surface. While lunar dust is known to interfere optically when deposited on mirrors, its mechanical effects on the silica fibers themselves are not characterized.

Understanding whether dust degrades fiber strength or influences thermal noise is crucial because suspension thermal noise is a key performance limiter in the 0.1–10 Hz band, and fiber reliability is essential for mission success without the possibility of routine repairs on the Moon.