Hidden in the center of the Milky Way advanced extraterrestrial life? A new search for it, at least, focuses on repetitive radio pulses from the heart of our galaxy.
Milky Way: This should indicate aliens
Narrowband pulses are of particular interest for research. As a rule, they are emitted naturally by pulsars. But humans also use them intentionally in technologies like radar. Because they stand out against the background noise of space, they are an effective means of communicating over long distances. And thus an attractive target for the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. Also in the Milky Way.
The researchers are listening at the center of the Milky Way because it is densely populated with stars and potentially habitable exoplanets. If intelligent aliens at the center wanted to reach the rest of the galaxy, their privileged position could send out signals covering a large number of planets.
In a new one Study, published on May 30 in The Astronomical Journal, the researchers behind describe their strategy. The team led by doctoral student Akshay Suresh from Cornell University developed software to recognize the repetitive frequency pattern.
This is how the astronomers did it
They were first tested on known pulsars. The scientists wanted to ensure that the narrow frequencies could also be detected using software. The researchers then used this method to search data from the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia.
Using narrow bandwidths and repeating patterns would be an excellent way for extraterrestrials to identify themselves, as such a combination is extremely unlikely to occur naturally. The explained study co-author Steve Croft, a project scientist with the Breakthrough Listen program, in a separate statement. This is the largest scientific research program to date aimed at finding evidence of civilizations beyond Earth.
“Breakthrough Listen collects vast amounts of data, and Akshay’s technique provides a new way to help us search this haystack for needles that may provide tantalizing clues to advanced alien life forms,” Croft said.
Quellen: „A 4–8 GHz Galactic Center Search for Periodic Technosignatures“ (2023, The Astronomical Journal), College of Arts & Sciences
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2023-06-07 13:04:04
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