Key Takeaways:
- MIT scientists propose using existing laser technology to create a beacon for attracting extraterrestrial civilizations.
- A 1 to 2-megawatt laser focused through a large telescope could emit a detectable IR signal into space.
- This beacon could be spotted by alien astronomers in nearby star systems, such as Proxima Centauri or TRAPPIST-1.
- Messages sent via the laser could travel at a few hundred bits per second and reach distant planets in a few years.
- While powerful, the IR beam could pose a vision hazard and might be better aimed from the far side of the moon.
Scientists across the world are working hard to develop new ways for detecting extraterrestrial life. MIT has a different notion, which is to employ existing laser technology to construct a beacon that can attract any intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations actively hunting for life in the cosmos. According to MIT researchers, existing laser technology may be used to create a beacon.
This beacon might draw attention from as far away as 20,000 light years from Earth. According to the study, a high-powered 1 to 2-megawatt laser could be focused via a 30- to 45-meter telescope and sent into space. This combination would generate a beam of IR radiation powerful enough to stand out from the sun’s energy.
That signal may be detected by an extraterrestrial astronomer doing a survey of our part of the Milky Way galaxy, particularly if the astronomers were in nearby star systems such as Proxima Centauri. According to MIT researchers, if an extraterrestrial astronomer was examining the cosmos from TRAPPIST-1, Earth’s closest star with possibly habitable planets, the enormous laser might be used to deliver a short communication in the form of Morse code pulses.
A message delivered in this method would have a data rate of a few hundred bits per second and may reach the distant planet after a few years. According to one of the project’s experts, the majority of the necessary technology is already available, and what doesn’t exist could be developed in the near term.
Potential concerns with this approach include the fact that, while being invisible, the IR beam might harm people’s vision if they gazed directly at it. This beam would have a flux density of around 800 watts per square meter, which is comparable to the sun’s 1300 watts per square meter flux density. A safer destination than Earth would be on the moon’s far side. Any distant astronomer peering at our region of the galaxy would also have to gaze directly at the laser to observe the beam, making detection of the beacon very unlikely, according to experts.
SOURCE: MIT
