Transmitting signals over interstellar distances: Three approaches compared in the context of the Drake equation
Abstract
I compare three methods for transmitting signals over interstellar distances: radio transmitters, lasers and artificial transits. The quantitative comparison is based on physical quantities depending on energy cost and transmitting time L, the last parameter in the Drake equation. With our assumptions, radio transmitters are the most energy-effective, while macro-engineered planetary-sized objects producing artificial transits seem effective on the long term to transmit an attention-getting signal for a time that might be much longer than the lifetime of the civilization that produced the artifact.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1303.1100,
title = {Transmitting signals over interstellar distances: Three approaches compared in the context of the Drake equation},
author = {Luc Arnold},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1303.1100},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in the International Journal of Astrobiology, special issue on the Drake equation. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=IJA