The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) What Can SETI Mikeresearchers Garrett Learn Sirfrom Bernard Frbs Lovell… Chair, Prof
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The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) What can SETI Mikeresearchers Garrett learn Sirfrom Bernard FRBs Lovell… Chair, Prof. of Astrophysics. Director Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics Mike Garrett Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics, Director Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (JBCA). The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence By Professor Mike Garrett, Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics In celebration of his appointment to the inaugural Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics Thursday 26 January, 1- 2pm Niels Bohr Seminar Room, 6th floor, Schuster Building, University of Manchester The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) “All-sky” Radio MikeSETI Garrett Sir Bernard Lovell Chair, Prof. of Astrophysics. Director Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics Mike Garrett Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics, Director Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (JBCA). The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence By Professor Mike Garrett, Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics In celebration of his appointment to the inaugural Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics Thursday 26 January, 1- 2pm Niels Bohr Seminar Room, 6th floor, Schuster Building, University of Manchester Success in SETI might be difficult… So far no obvious SETI signals have been detected. Thus far, Astronomical data in general show no signatures of advanced civilisations. Solar system is apparently pristine with no evidence of past visitations. Intelligent life capable of communicating on galactic scales took a long time to arise on this planet, and may be universally “rare”. Milky Way is big, old and the speed of light is finite. From “our experience of one" technical (radio phase) civilisations may have v. short lifetimes… SETI Success Spatial Resolution Field-of-view ? Bandwidth Sensitivity/Depth Data Processing & Signal recognition Temporal & Frequency Resolution What can we learn from Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) ? FRBs are bright - easily beyond the detection threshold of most radio telescopes for many decades. • Radio astronomy has enjoyed exponential gains in sensitivity… Ekers & Bell (2001) • Exponential gains in instantaneous bandwidth too… Whitney et al. ==Δv SETI Success Spatial Resolution Field-of-view ? Bandwidth Sensitivity/Depth Data Processing & Signal recognition Temporal & Frequency Resolution No coincidence that even the few FRBs we have detected, had to wait for the development of multi-horn receivers… It’s all about Field-of-View (FoV)… -3/2+δ Event Rate ~ FoV . So (δ often > 0.5 favouring FoV over sensitivity) - J.P. Macquart (2013) • RadioVery modest astronomy gains has in enjoyed field-of-view exponential at cm gains wavelengths in sensitivity… … Ekers & Bell (2001) Field of View of Field ASKAP ATA SKA1-mid Reber WSRT MERLIN Dwingeloo VLA Parkes(13) APERTIF Jodrell Bank Parkes Bonn Arecibo(7) Arecibo • Radio astronomy has enjoyed exponential gains in sensitivity… Ekers & Bell (2001) • RadioVery modest astronomy gains has in enjoyed field-of-view exponential at cm gains wavelengths in sensitivity… … Ekers & Bell (2001) Field of View of Field ASKAP ATA SKA1-mid Reber WSRT MERLIN Dwingeloo VLA Parkes(13) APERTIF Jodrell Bank Parkes Bonn Arecibo(7) Arecibo What can SETI learn from Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) ? FRBs are bright - easily beyond the detection threshold of most radio telescopes for many decades. Despite being bright and with a VERY high event rate, Field-of- View is crucial… SETI Success Spatial Resolution Field-of-view ? Bandwidth Sensitivity/Depth Data Processing & Signal recognition Temporal & Frequency Resolution What can we learn from Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) ? What can SETI learn from Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) ? FRBs are bright - easily beyond the detection threshold of most radio telescope for many decades. Despite being bright and with a VERY high event rate, Field-of- View is crucial… FRBs were sitting in the raw archive data just waiting to be discovered… Phased Array Feeds (PAFs) increase FoV by ~ x10. First “all-sky” SETI concept - Argus - is well- described in “Imperial Earth” “Argus - multiple-eyed god, who could look in every direction simultaneously. Unlike poor Cyclops, who had only a single line of vision”. Progress at low frequencies (< 300 MHz or 1m) e.g. MWA & LOFAR AARTFAAC telescopes Prototype Aperture Array cm-wavelength antenna and beam-forming technology (e.g. van Ardenne et al.) EMBRACE 2012 THEA 2004 OSMA 1999 AAD 1997 See van Ardenne et al. 2012 Dedicated SETI instruments…? FoV~200 deg2 Location: SKA-SA K4. Freq. 450-1450 MHz Location: SKA-SA “K4”. A ~ 1500-2500 m2 A/T 38-63 m2/K SEFD ~ 74-44 Jy FoV ~ 200 deg2 FoV~200 deg2 0.45-1.45GHz, A~1500-2500m2, SEFD ~ 74-44Jy AFTER SETI Success! Spatial Resolution Field-of-view ? Bandwidth Sensitivity/Depth Data Processing & Signal recognition Temporal & Frequency Resolution Primary beam GBT @ 1.4GHz HR 8799 150 milliarcsecs = 5 AU @130 lyr. Full Keplerian solution to orbits should be possible together with RV data. What can SETI learn from Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) ? FRBs are bright - easily beyond the detection threshold of most radio telescopes for many decades. Despite being bright and with a relatively high event rate, Field- of-View is crucial… FRBs were sitting in the raw archive data waiting to be discovered… LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! == Interferometry… www.facebook.com/JodrellBankObservatory @JodrellBankObservatory Thank you! .