SPACE — In 1916, renowned theoretical physicist Albert Einstein put the finishing touches on the General Theory of Relativity (GR), a geometric theory of how gravity changes the curvature of space and time. The revolutionary theory remains the basis of scientists’ models of how the universe formed and evolved over time.
One of GR’s many predictions is so-called gravitational lensing, in which objects with very large gravitational fields will distort and magnify light coming from more distant objects. Astronomers have used lenses to make direct observations and see further into space.
In recent years, scientists such as Claudio Maccone and Slava Turyshev have explored how the Sun, as the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL), could have a tremendous impact on the fields of astronomy and the Search for Extraordinary Intelligence (SETI). Two important examples include studying exoplanets in great detail or creating an interstellar communications network (galactic internet).
In a new paper, Turyshev proposes how advanced civilizations could use SGLs to transmit power from star to star, a possibility that could have significant implications in the search for other signal technologies.
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A preprint of Turyshev’s paper entitled ‘Gravitational Lensing for Interstellar Power Transmission’ recently appeared online and is under review for publication. Slava G Turyshev is a scientist in the Structure of the Universe Research Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The group is involved in a variety of research topics related to the evolution of the Universe from the Big Bang to the present. Among them, the formation of the first stars and galaxies, the role of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the formation of large-scale cosmic structures, and the accelerated expansion of the universe, the cosmos respectively.
In previous papers, Turyshev and his colleague, Senior Researcher Viktor Toth of Carleton University, had explored the physics of gravitational lensing extensively. They have also explored how spacecraft in the SGL focus region perform cutting-edge astronomical tasks.
It covers how SGL can amplify light from faint, distant objects (such as exoplanets) to the point where the resolution is comparable to observations made from high orbit. In another paper, SETI astronomer and mathematician Claudio Maccone shows how SGL facilitates interstellar communication.
In his latest paper, Turyshev explores how a star’s gravitational focal point is used to focus energy and radiate it to other star systems. As he states in his paper, similar equipment for interplanetary communications built to scale could allow a pair of stellar gravitational lenses to facilitate energy transmission over interstellar distances.
A new study shows how the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL) can transmit power from one system to another. Image: NASA/ESA
Light amplification by both lenses, allows a significant increase in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the transmitted signal. But as Turyshev said, a comprehensive analysis of that scenario has not yet been carried out.
“This is a topic I have been trying to avoid for some time, because no analytical tools have been developed to study power transmission. Today, many relevant and important topics are well understood, leading to this work. In this paper, I looked at the feasibility of interstellar power transmission and was able to show that a practically relevant Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be achieved, thereby showing that SGL can be used for this purpose,” Turyshev told Universe Today.
For the study, Turyshev used analytical tools from previous SGL research to consider how light might be amplified in a multi-lens system. He then applied the same method to three free-space laser power transmission scenarios involving single lenses or multiple lenses.
2023-11-05 05:49:00
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