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Related papers: Limits of Detecting Extraterrestrial Civilizations

200 papers

The METI risk problem refers to the uncertain outcome of sending transmissions into space with the intention of messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence (METI). Here, I demonstrate that this uncertainty is undecidable by proving that that…

Popular Physics · Physics 2019-02-12 Jacob Haqq-Misra

In the cm-wavelength range, an extraterrestrial electromagnetic narrow band (sine wave) beacon is an excellent choice to get alien attention across interstellar distances because 1) it is not strongly affected by interstellar /…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2018-05-08 G. R. Harp , R. F. Ackermann , Samantha K. Blair , J. Arbunich , P. R. Backus , J. C. Tarter , the ATA Team

We motivate the \^G infrared search for extraterrestrial civilizations with large energy supplies. We discuss some philosophical difficulties of SETI, and how communication SETI circumvents them. We review "Dysonian SETI", the search for…

Popular Physics · Physics 2015-06-22 J. T. Wright , B. Mullan , S. Sigurðsson , M. S. Povich

There is a wide-ranging debate about the merits and demerits of searching for, and sending messages to, extraterrestrial intelligences (SETI and METI). There is however reasonable (but not universal) consensus that replying to a message…

Popular Physics · Physics 2021-02-03 Peter Hatfield , Leah Trueblood

Two opposing tendencies paradoxically coexist in terrestrial consciousness -- the insistent quest for intelligent signals from other civilizations and the persistent aversion to any attempts to transmit such signals from Earth toward…

General Physics · Physics 2007-05-23 Alexander Zaitsev

The Drake Equation has proven fertile ground for speculation about the abundance, or lack thereof, of communicating extraterrestrial intelligences (CETIs) for decades. It has been augmented by subsequent authors to include random variables…

General Physics · Physics 2023-01-10 Reginald D. Smith

The "search for extraterrestrial intelligence" (SETI) commensal surveys aim to scan the sky to find possible technosignatures from the extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI). The mitigation of radio frequency interference (RFI) is an important…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2023-08-21 Yu-Chen Wang , Zhen-Zhao Tao , Zhi-Song Zhang , Cheqiu Lyu , Tingting Zhang , Tong-Jie Zhang , Dan Werthimer

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is to search for technosignatures associated with extraterrestrial life, such as engineered radio signals. In this paper, we apply the multibeam coincidence matching (MBCM) strategy, and…

For about the last 60 years the search for extraterrestrial intelligence has been monitoring the sky for evidence of remotely detectable technological life beyond Earth, with no positive results to date. While the lack of detection can be…

Popular Physics · Physics 2023-05-02 Claudio Grimaldi

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) targeted searches aim to observe specific areas and objects to find possible technosignatures. Many SETI researches have focused on nearby stars and their planets in recent years. In this…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2025-04-10 Xiao-Hang Luan , Bo-Lun Huang , Zhen-Zhao Tao , Yan Cui , Tong-Jie Zhang , Pei Wang

We advocate international consultations on societal and technical issues to address the risk problem, and a moratorium on future METI transmissions until such issues are resolved. Instead, we recommend continuing to conduct SETI by…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2011-04-26 John Billingham , James Benford

We are designing and constructing a new SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) instrument to search for direct evidence of interstellar communications via pulsed laser signals at near-infrared wavelengths. The new instrument design…

This paper develops a detailed quantitative model which uses the Drake equation and an assumption of an average maximum radio broadcasting distance by an communicative civilization to derive a minimum civilization density for contact…

General Physics · Physics 2010-02-07 Reginald D. Smith

Two fundamental problems for extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs) attempting to establish interstellar communication are timing and energy consumption. Humanity's study of exoplanets via their transit across the host star highlights a…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2017-07-13 Duncan H Forgan

We propose a search for sources of directed energy systems such as those now becoming technologically feasible on Earth. Recent advances in our own abilities allow us to foresee our own capability that will radically change our ability to…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2018-10-22 Philip Lubin

SETI@home is a radio Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project, looking for technosignatures in data recorded at multiple observatories from 1998 to 2020. Most radio SETI projects analyze data using dedicated processing…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2025-07-25 Eric J. Korpela , David P. Anderson , Jeff Cobb , Matt Lebofsky , Wei Liu , Dan Werthimer

The discovery of many Earth-like planets has renewed interest in whether life and technological civilizations exist elsewhere. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) seeks evidence for technological civilizations via…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2026-03-03 Keitaro Takahashi

The history of astronomical discovery shows that many of the most detectable phenomena, especially detection firsts, are not typical members of their broader class, but rather rare, extreme cases with disproportionately large observational…

Popular Physics · Physics 2026-02-03 David Kipping

A recurring topic in interstellar exploration and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is the role of artificial intelligence. More precisely, these are programs or devices that are capable of performing cognitive tasks that…

Popular Physics · Physics 2016-12-28 Andreas M. Hein

The Zoo Hypothesis posits that we have not detected extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs) because they deliberately prevent us from detecting them. While a valid solution to Fermi's Paradox, it is not particularly amenable to rigorous…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2015-05-28 Duncan H Forgan