Tuesday, April 25, 2006 4:17:08 AM
Looking for alien lasers, not radios
New Scientist, 11 April 2006
For almost 50 years, since SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) projects began in earnest, people have concentrated on detecting radio signals, says Paul Horowitz, an astronomer at Harvard University in Massachusetts, US. But recently, researchers have come to think alien civilisations could also plausibly use laser light to communicate.
The curvature of the OSETI telescope's mirror is spherical not parabolic, which is less expensive and suitable if images are not the prime requirement (Image: Paul Horowitz)The first optical telescope dedicated to the hunt for alien signals has opened.
Horowitz led the construction of the Planetary Society's Optical SETI (OSETI) telescope at Harvard's Oak Ridge Observatory. Once running, OSETI's processors will carry out a trillion measurements per second, in a year-round survey of the sky. It will be able to pick out flashes of light that are only a billionth of a second long.
And because it does not need to take high-resolution images, it is much cheaper than other professional telescopes, costing just $50,000 to build. "It's really a light bucket," says Horowitz. "It won't take pretty pictures."
The OSETI telescope has a mirror 1.8 metres (72 inches) in diameter, and custom-built photomultiplier tubes and processing chips.
Unidirectional signal
OSETI opens on Tuesday April 11 to begin its search. "It may be a longshot," says Horowitz. "But this has such important implications, someone should be doing it."
Horowitz believes that radio astronomy searches still play an important role in the search for alien life. Alien civilizations would actually find radio better for long-range communication because radio waves are not blocked by dust within galaxies, he says.
But optical laser pulses could also filter through many regions of the sky, says Horowitz. And since laser light is unidirectional, it will be easier to pinpoint the location from which a signal originates.
Astronomer, Luc Arnold, at the Observatory of Haute-Provence in France, has researched how space-based telescopes could be used to detect laser pulses produced by alien civilisations.
He is excited by OSETI's fast processing power, which makes a ground-based search possible. "Radio SETI should not be the only method considered," says Arnold. "We must remember that ET could be quite imaginative."
http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/mg19025473.000-looking-for-alien-lasers-not-radios.html
New Scientist, 11 April 2006
For almost 50 years, since SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) projects began in earnest, people have concentrated on detecting radio signals, says Paul Horowitz, an astronomer at Harvard University in Massachusetts, US. But recently, researchers have come to think alien civilisations could also plausibly use laser light to communicate.
The curvature of the OSETI telescope's mirror is spherical not parabolic, which is less expensive and suitable if images are not the prime requirement (Image: Paul Horowitz)The first optical telescope dedicated to the hunt for alien signals has opened.
Horowitz led the construction of the Planetary Society's Optical SETI (OSETI) telescope at Harvard's Oak Ridge Observatory. Once running, OSETI's processors will carry out a trillion measurements per second, in a year-round survey of the sky. It will be able to pick out flashes of light that are only a billionth of a second long.
And because it does not need to take high-resolution images, it is much cheaper than other professional telescopes, costing just $50,000 to build. "It's really a light bucket," says Horowitz. "It won't take pretty pictures."
The OSETI telescope has a mirror 1.8 metres (72 inches) in diameter, and custom-built photomultiplier tubes and processing chips.
Unidirectional signal
OSETI opens on Tuesday April 11 to begin its search. "It may be a longshot," says Horowitz. "But this has such important implications, someone should be doing it."
Horowitz believes that radio astronomy searches still play an important role in the search for alien life. Alien civilizations would actually find radio better for long-range communication because radio waves are not blocked by dust within galaxies, he says.
But optical laser pulses could also filter through many regions of the sky, says Horowitz. And since laser light is unidirectional, it will be easier to pinpoint the location from which a signal originates.
Astronomer, Luc Arnold, at the Observatory of Haute-Provence in France, has researched how space-based telescopes could be used to detect laser pulses produced by alien civilisations.
He is excited by OSETI's fast processing power, which makes a ground-based search possible. "Radio SETI should not be the only method considered," says Arnold. "We must remember that ET could be quite imaginative."
http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/mg19025473.000-looking-for-alien-lasers-not-radios.html
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