The non-profit SETI Institute, the Berkeley SETI Research Center and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research announced the study using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Western Australia.
MWA’s 4,096 dipole MWA antennas are made from aluminium and optimised for the 70-300MHz frequency range. Each 74cm by 55cm antenna is fitted with a low noise amplifier (LNA) that amplifies incoming signals while adding less noise than is received from the coldest regions of the Milky Way.
Led by Dr Chenoa Tremblay of the SETI Institute and Professor Steven Tingay of Curtin University, this research is the first to search for signs of alien technology in galaxies beyond our own, focusing on 100MHz radio frequencies.
This international collaboration used the MWA’s large field of view (FOV), allowing the team to cover about 2,800 galaxies in one observation.
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) usually focuses on signals within our galaxy. This new approach goes further, looking at distant galaxies, making it one of the most detailed searches for so-called ‘super civilizations’.
“This work represents a significant step forward in our efforts to detect signals from advanced extraterrestrial civilizations,” Tremblay said in a statement. “The large field of view and low-frequency range of the MWA makes it an ideal tool for this kind of research, and the limits we set will guide future studies.”
While this first study did not find any signs of alien technology, it provided insights that will help focus future searches.
“The MWA continues to open up new ways of exploring the universe for intelligent civilizations and technosignatures, while using the same data to study the astrophysics of stars and galaxies. This work is new and novel, but also paves the way for future observations with even more powerful telescopes,” said Tingay, who is also the director of the MWA.
A paper detailing the research can be found at this URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.10372
UK’s largest biochar facility set to open in Wiltshire
Hello Steve yes I did that same calculation with the 44/12 factor. I suppose the balance, perhaps the pyro-oil - (which is nasty stuff) is combusted...