A new idea for SETI

I think SETI makes far too many assumptions. It is very geared toward
the Drake equation, which is a pragmatic narrowing of information
bandwidth to the point where we're only looking for messages that are
sent with the express purpose of talking to us. Considering that we
have only sent one of these messages ourselves, and only for a tiny
period of time to a star that will not respond for 50000 years anyway,
it's not terribly strange that we haven't found anything.

It is likely that, with efficient compression, alien radio data will be
indistiguishable from white noise. By definition, the more efficient a
compression algorithm, the more random its output. So, even if we can
pick up the radio communications that are strong enough to reach us but
not specifically meant to be sent to us, it is not likely that our
current pattern-finding algorithms will find much of a pattern at all.
It will just look like another star.

However, we can predict the general shape of the spectrum of a star by
it's temperature. If we know the amount of radio (or microwave, or
visible) light that a star *should* emit, why don't we just look for
anomalies in the blackbody curve? For instance, anybody looking at the
Sun would see a yellow-orange star with way too much energy in the
radio spectrum. Furthermore, there would probably be a slight, but
maybe detectable, circadian period to the intensity.


Perhaps the biggest advantage of this is that it is necessarily a
broadband approach -- instead of scanning for patterns at a thousand
very specific bands, it would allow for a full-spectrum view. Also, it
would be easy enough to adapt SETI@Home to search for blackbody
anomalies, and the mere act of pulling together full spectra on so many
stars would be much more useful than just having their signatures on
the Hydrogen line, which by definition they don't really have much of
anyway.

If nothing else, this would be a way to narrow down the field of
candidate stars significantly. Is this being done? If no one is doing
it, maybe I will.

Roga wrote:
I think SETI makes far too many assumptions. It is very geared toward
the Drake equation, which is a pragmatic narrowing of information
bandwidth to the point where we're only looking for messages that are
sent with the express purpose of talking to us. Considering that we
have only sent one of these messages ourselves, and only for a tiny
period of time to a star that will not respond for 50000 years anyway,
it's not terribly strange that we haven't found anything.

It is likely that, with efficient compression, alien radio data will be
indistiguishable from white noise. By definition, the more efficient a
compression algorithm, the more random its output. So, even if we can
pick up the radio communications that are strong enough to reach us but
not specifically meant to be sent to us, it is not likely that our
current pattern-finding algorithms will find much of a pattern at all.
It will just look like another star.

However, we can predict the general shape of the spectrum of a star by
it's temperature. If we know the amount of radio (or microwave, or
visible) light that a star *should* emit, why don't we just look for
anomalies in the blackbody curve? For instance, anybody looking at the
Sun would see a yellow-orange star with way too much energy in the
radio spectrum. Furthermore, there would probably be a slight, but
maybe detectable, circadian period to the intensity.


Perhaps the biggest advantage of this is that it is necessarily a
broadband approach -- instead of scanning for patterns at a thousand
very specific bands, it would allow for a full-spectrum view. Also, it
would be easy enough to adapt SETI@Home to search for blackbody
anomalies, and the mere act of pulling together full spectra on so many
stars would be much more useful than just having their signatures on
the Hydrogen line, which by definition they don't really have much of
anyway.

If nothing else, this would be a way to narrow down the field of
candidate stars significantly. Is this being done? If no one is doing
it, maybe I will.

I think that this is an excellent post. A lot of the SETI work does
seen to assume aliens very like us in terms of technology and approach
to communication. Some lateral or creative thinking does seem to be in
order, given the lack of plain language radio detected hitherto. It
could be that radio itself is replaced by an obviously better form of
transmission quite early in a civilisation's technological advancement.
Phased neutrino's anyone?

Roga wrote:


It is likely that, with efficient compression, alien radio data will be
indistiguishable from white noise. By definition, the more efficient a
compression algorithm, the more random its output. So, even if we can
pick up the radio communications that are strong enough to reach us but
not specifically meant to be sent to us, it is not likely that our
current pattern-finding algorithms will find much of a pattern at all.
It will just look like another star.



I get a sneaking suspicion that any really advanced civilization ditched
radio communications a long time back in favor of something that doesn't
have speed of light limitations- communicating via hyperspace for
instance. We can already see how that would work via some of the
experiments with "spooky action at a distance" that are presently being
done.
If that's the case, then the "radio age" of any extraterrestrial
civilization may only last for a few hundred years before they come up
with instantaneous communications, and that throws a major monkey wrench
into SETI's approach as what they may be trying to do is the equivalent
to looking for smoke signals when everyone's using the telegraph.
On the other hand, if they are using hyperspace communication techniques
and we figure out how to do that also, we may well be able to easily tap
into any signals being sent by other civilizations as the communication
technique may well be non-directional in nature and unaffected by
distance, with the signals permeating the whole universe with equal
strength everywhere.

Pat

Stephen Horgan wrote:

I think that this is an excellent post. A lot of the SETI work does
seen to assume aliens very like us in terms of technology and approach
to communication. Some lateral or creative thinking does seem to be in
order, given the lack of plain language radio detected hitherto. It
could be that radio itself is replaced by an obviously better form of
transmission quite early in a civilisation's technological advancement.
Phased neutrino's anyone?



Knots tied in superstrings, Inca-style?

Pat

Nog wrote:
There are many ways to modulate a signal, compress or encrypt onto an RF
carrier but you still need RF to carry the signal if you use RF at all.
We need to detect a carrier before even thinking about decoding it.
Alien carriers may be below radio or above radio into light waves but they
will be waves of energy that will have to propagate thru space to reach us.

I don't think electromagnetic waves are a must. I agree with the other guy that
possibly particles like neutrinos could be used, possibly previously paired
and transmitted quantums, gravity waves, whatever.

And that leaves out the whole dark matter/energy stuff which could open up
a whole host of means of communicating.

Still, RF is the only thing we can scan so far, so I think we should continue
that at least until we figure out something better.

Lots of Greetings!
Volker

In article . com,
Roga wrote:
I think SETI makes far too many assumptions. It is very geared toward
the Drake equation, which is a pragmatic narrowing of information
bandwidth to the point where we're only looking for messages that are
sent with the express purpose of talking to us. Considering that we
have only sent one of these messages ourselves,

This is incorrect, just one might expect from the fact that
sending messages is relatively cheap and what strikes humans as worth
doing variable. In fact, even TV shows can use beamed messages as
a ratings stunt, as seen on DAILY PLANET last year, when they sent
a message to 37 Geminorum.

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