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SETI by Laser? "Strange signals from 234 stars could be ET – or human error"


I love it.

Optical data transmission is inherently superior to radio which we're already phasing out.

I suspect it will last a lot longer as a transmission medium, therefore is a far better candidate for SETI. Uncle Stan is right about that.
 
... Optical data transmission is inherently superior to radio which we're already phasing out ...
Actually, I'd question the claim that, "Optical data transmission is inherently superior to radio" for interplanetary or interstellar communication, because optical communication is totally useless during the day, a lot of optical light is blocked by interstellar dust, and optical transmissions can much more easily get lost in the glare of star light. On the other hand, radio, which is essentially just another wavelength can penetrate dust clouds, atmospheres, and can be transmitted and received regardless of the weather or time of day. That's why we use it to communicate with space probes and satellites. Optical transmission only seems preferable in fiber optic, or specialized point-to-point laser applications.
 
Actually, I'd question the claim that, "Optical data transmission is inherently superior to radio" for interplanetary or interstellar communication, because optical communication is totally useless during the day, a lot of optical light is blocked by interstellar dust, and optical transmissions can much more easily get lost in the glare of star light. On the other hand, radio, which is essentially just another wavelength can penetrate dust clouds, atmospheres, and can be transmitted and received regardless of the weather or time of day. That's why we use it to communicate with space probes and satellites. Optical transmission only seems preferable in fiber optic, or specialized point-to-point laser applications.
Optical (by which I mean light, not necessarily visible light) has a far higher transmission rate, will sustain coherency far longer, and for far smaller amounts of energy.

For a pretty simple reason: it's directed. Radio expands in a sphere, optical in a cone.

Benefits of Optical Communications
 
Optical (by which I mean light, not necessarily visible light) has a far higher transmission rate, will sustain coherency far longer, and for far smaller amounts of energy. For a pretty simple reason: it's directed. Radio expands in a sphere, optical in a cone. Benefits of Optical Communications

Thanks for the link. Delving a little further into the details, optical includes the visible spectrum, and other adjacent frequencies to a certain point ( see chart below ). Basically, so long as lenses can be used to focus the waves, it's considered "optical", and because of that, there still remains the other challenges I had mentioned, and they are in-part acknowledged in the article. For example, to quote: "Even Earth's atmosphere interferes with optical communications. Clouds and mist can interrupt a laser. SCaN is investigating multiple approaches, like Disruption Tolerant Networking and satellite arrays to help deal with challenges derived from atmospheric means."

See also: Laser communication in space - Wikipedia

But still, it's cool to know about the latest developments in these new technologies. I enjoyed checking it out :)


optical_spectrum.png
 
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Thanks for the link. Delving a little further into the details, optical includes the visible spectrum, and other adjacent frequencies to a certain point ( see chart below ). Basically, so long as lenses can be used to focus the waves, it's considered "optical", and because of that, there still remains the other challenges I had mentioned, and they are in-part acknowledged in the article. For example, to quote: "Even Earth's atmosphere interferes with optical communications. Clouds and mist can interrupt a laser. SCaN is investigating multiple approaches, like Disruption Tolerant Networking and satellite arrays to help deal with challenges derived from atmospheric means."

See also: Laser communication in space - Wikipedia

But still, it's cool to know about the latest developments in these new technologies. I enjoyed checking it out :)


optical_spectrum.png
Yup, the universe isn't transparent to much.

Except gravity waves maybe?

At any rate, one of the features of space is that it's mostly empty.
 
Except gravity waves maybe?
The phrase "gravity waves" can refer to different things and this sometimes leads to confusion. The usual confusion is between the idea of gravity waves as analogous to light waves, where a hypothetical particle called a graviton is involved instead of a photon. No such particle or wave has ever been detected. For communications purposes, such a particle is theorized to travel no faster than light and because the effects of gravity and light diminish according to the inverse square law, both have the same limitations regarding signal strength over long distances.

The other situation is where the gravitational effect of a system ( such as a binary star ) varies rapidly due to the short orbital period of the stars as they move around each other, resulting in a cycle of amplitude and frequency that is referred to as "gravity waves". It is believed that such waves have been measured by the
LIGO sensor. Because of the huge masses involved, these types of gravity waves are impractical for communication purposes.
 
The phrase "gravity waves" can refer to different things and this sometimes leads to confusion. The usual confusion is between the idea of gravity waves as analogous to light waves, where a hypothetical particle called a graviton is involved instead of a photon. No such particle or wave has ever been detected. For communications purposes, such a particle is theorized to travel no faster than light and because the effects of gravity and light diminish according to the inverse square law, both have the same limitations regarding signal strength over long distances.

The other situation is where the gravitational effect of a system ( such as a binary star ) varies rapidly due to the short orbital period of the stars as they move around each other, resulting in a cycle of amplitude and frequency that is referred to as "gravity waves". It is believed that such waves have been measured by the
LIGO sensor. Because of the huge masses involved, these types of gravity waves are impractical for communication purposes.
Ya I remember reading a sci-fi story once where some vastly powerful alien intelligence wobbled binary stars as a transmission medium -- because in theory gravity waves propagate across the entire universe at the speed of light, without a ton of interference.

Here's a cool paper:
https://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/jason/gravwaves.pdf

These guys actually assessed the viability of using high frequency gravity waves as a terrestrial transmission medium from the standpoint it could be a security threat. And basically decided it wasn't.

But the math here is cool.
 
What ever they are (unknown) is it still out performs most human technologies (eyewitness) in 20% cases from numerous radar stations around the world. The eyewitness cases -eletrical charge before events and increase weather change temperatures manipulations. Animals go quite and reminds me of earthquakes incidents.

Contacts -eyewitness see numerous events day and night and no matter what science suggest we are a speck in the solar system It could be natural events that creates radio bursts in space insome cases that humans have not learned to understand yet. The fact it can interfere with carbon machines engines (electrical in the future ) and control weather regarding a cloaked -bubble ( magnetic force field) that stops rain , wind and sound and take control of moving cars and sea vessels in some cases-it uses jamming incidents that seems to take time from these events and in some cases putting cars on the wrong side of the road (not European or US) time slips. It doesn't discriminate ethnic groups nor religious ideologies. if aliens or dimensional bugs they out perform today's technology.. Also A.I. will bring more mud into the research.
 
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Gravitational waves propagate with the speed of light, just like radio waves. To have a meaningful signal transmit by either of these means will require a significant energy supply. Stronger signals and all that jazz. A sufficiently advanced civilization will be sending out signals in numerous formats, and would be doing so at a MUCH higher amplitude than humans are capable of.


Unless they're nearby, the signals are going to be billions of years old. None will reach Earth in time for any meaningful contact. The ONLY thing an advanced civilization, facing it's own extinction, could have done would be to send out advice to anyone listening billions of years ago.

Which hasn't yet happened.
 
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