The Department of Physics of the University of Pisa, the INFN-Pisa and the Vanderbilt Lunar Lab Initiative cordially invite the scientific community to the 2026 International LILA Meeting (Lunar Gravitational-Wave Workshop), taking place from 2 to 4 December 2026.
As the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA network continues to detect gravitational-wave signals at an unprecedented rate, plans for next-generation detectors are rapidly advancing, including ground-based observatories like the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer as well as spaceborne mission LISA. In the meantime, novel proposals for lunar-based detectors are developed to open the decihertz frequency band (0.1–10 Hz), bridging the gap between terrestrial and space detectors, including the Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA). With its extreme seismic quietness and natural ultra-high vacuum, the Moon provides an ideal environment for a gravitational-wave observatory.
This is the sixth annual meeting in the Lunar GW workshop series, following successful editions at Johns Hopkins APL (2025), Belle-Île-en-Mer (2024), Nashville (2023), Bern (2022), and Cascina (2021). The 2026 edition will be held at the Museum of Physics Instruments of the University of Pisa.
This meeting continues community discussions on the Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA) project – a proposed detector on the lunar surface to measure gravitational waves in the mid-band between ground-based detectors LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA and the future space mission LISA. The 2026 workshop will focus on defining LILA’s science goals, instrument architecture, and deployment timeline, while expanding and strengthening the global LILA community. Tuesday will be dedicated to a close meetings of the LILA Core team, while scientific sessions will cover Wednesday to Friday.
Key scientific session topics will include:
- Decihertz gravitational-wave science
- Multimessenger astrophysics
- GW instrumentation & technology development for lunar detectors
- Lunar geoscience