fifty years of seti science and technology

© 2009 The SETI League, Inc.© 2009 The SETI League, Inc.Background © Jon LombergBackground © Jon Lomberg

All Rights ReservedAll Rights Reserved

Fifty Years of Fifty Years of SETI Science SETI Science

and Technologyand TechnologyH. Paul Shuch, Ph.D.H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D.

Executive Director EmeritusExecutive Director Emeritus

The SETI League, Inc.The SETI League, Inc.



Are We Alone?Are We Alone?



Birth of Radio AstronomyBirth of Radio Astronomy

• Karl JanskyKarl Jansky

• Bell Labs, 1932Bell Labs, 1932

• Bruce Array Bruce Array

• Cosmic StaticCosmic Static



Amateur ScienceAmateur Science

• Grote Reber, W9GFZGrote Reber, W9GFZ• 10 meter dish, 193710 meter dish, 1937• first true radio telescopefirst true radio telescope• first Milky Way mapfirst Milky Way map



Modern Radio TelescopesModern Radio Telescopes

• RadiometersRadiometers

– Time DomainTime Domain

• SpectrometersSpectrometers

– Frequency DomainFrequency Domain

• InterferometersInterferometers

– Spatial DomainSpatial Domain



Searching for Interstellar Searching for Interstellar CommunicationCommunication



Project OzmaProject Ozma

• Frank D. DrakeFrank D. Drake• Green Bank WV, 1960Green Bank WV, 1960• Two Sun-like StarsTwo Sun-like Stars



Order of the DolphinOrder of the Dolphin



The Microwave WindowThe Microwave Window



Why Photons?Why Photons?

• Fastest spaceships known to manFastest spaceships known to man

• Unimpeded by the interstellar mediumUnimpeded by the interstellar medium



Search StrategiesSearch Strategies

• Targeted SearchTargeted Search

– High directivityHigh directivity

– Long durationLong duration

• All-Sky SurveyAll-Sky Survey

– Broad sky coverageBroad sky coverage

– Drift-scan modeDrift-scan mode



Signal AnalysisSignal Analysis

• FFTFFT– millions of channelsmillions of channels

– narrow frequency binsnarrow frequency bins

– sinusoidal componentssinusoidal components

• KLTKLT– adaptive transformadaptive transform

– computationally intensivecomputationally intensive



Hallmarks of ArtificialityHallmarks of Artificiality

• spatial / temporal characteristics consistent with sidereal spatial / temporal characteristics consistent with sidereal motion, motion,

• coherence not achievable by known natural emission coherence not achievable by known natural emission mechanisms, mechanisms,

• Doppler signatures indicative of planetary motion, Doppler signatures indicative of planetary motion, • frequency selection which exhibits a knowledge of one or frequency selection which exhibits a knowledge of one or

more universal constants, and more universal constants, and • information content suggestive of a mathematically information content suggestive of a mathematically

based culture. based culture.



To Learn More:To Learn More:

[email protected]@setileague.org

fifty years of seti science and technology

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