Effects of near-surface sedimentary structure on Newtonian noise for the Einstein Telescope: a 2-D numerical study

Abstract

Near-surface low-velocity sediments can strongly modify seismic wavefields and therefore affect estimates of Newtonian noise at underground gravitational-wave observatories. We investigate these effects using 2-D viscoelastic simulations of a sediment layer overlying hard-rock basement. Controlled experiments examine the influence of sediment-basement interface geometry, sediment shear-wave velocity, attenuation, and test-mass position. Relative to a homogeneous model, the sediment layer produces frequency-dependent changes through wave trapping, interference, and attenuation. A constant-thickness layer generates a more laterally coherent wavefield and a sharper spectral enhancement than a basin-shaped interface, whereas lateral thickness variations broaden and shift the response. Sediment shear-wave velocity primarily controls the frequencies of the spectral features, while attenuation mainly controls their amplitudes. Newtonian noise is most sensitive to sediment structure for test masses located within or several hundred meters below the sediment layer. The sensitivity to lateral variations in sediment thickness decreases with burial depth and is weak at 2 km depth in the present model. These results demonstrate that near-surface sedimentary structure should be represented explicitly when assessing site-dependent Newtonian noise, particularly for test masses located between 200 m and 300 m depths.