Abstract
The spin axes of the mantle, fluid core and solid inner core of the Moon
precess at frequency
$\Omega_p=2\pi/18.6$ yr$^{-1}$
though with different orientations, leading to viscous friction at the
core-mantle boundary (CMB) and inner core boundary (ICB). Here, we use a
rotational model of the Moon with a range of inner core and outer core
radii to investigate the relative importance of viscous dissipation at
the CMB and ICB, and to show how this dissipation is connected to the
phase lead angle ($\phi_p$) of the mantle ahead of its
Cassini state. We show that when the inner core radius is
$>80$ km and the free inner core nutation frequency
$\Omega_{ficn}$ approaches
$\Omega_p$, viscous dissipation at the ICB can be
comparable to that at the CMB, and in the most extreme cases exceed it
by as much as a factor 10. If so, the viscous dissipation in the lunar
core projected back in time depends on how
$\Omega_{ficn}$ has evolved relative to
$\Omega_p$. We further show that constraints on the
CMB and ICB radii of the lunar core can in principle be extracted by
matching the observed phase lead of $\phi_p=0.27$
arcsec; this requires an improved estimate of tidal dissipation and an
accurate model of the turbulent viscous torque. Lastly, when our
rotational model is constrained to match $\phi_p=0.27$
arcsec, our results suggest that the viscous dissipation at the ICB is
likely insufficient to have ever been above the threshold to power a
thermally driven dynamo.