Look for strange signals from distant exoplanets

A group of astronomers is looking for strange signals from distant exoplanets, or "signaling techniques" because they can indicate the existence of intelligent civilizations in other places in the universe.

The term 'technosignature' is a relatively new word, first coined in 2007 by astronomer Jill Tarter, then director of the SETI Research Center.

Picture 1 of Look for strange signals from distant exoplanets
Scientists are currently developing a variety of technologies to find extraterrestrial civilizations.

But even before the term was introduced, astronomers searched for 'technosignature' , the most popular being radio transmissions . In fact, that often means searching for something strange, anomalies in the data can indicate the presence of something unnatural, like an overly bright planet.

Historically, those searches have not been taken seriously. Now, however, scientists say they can make a real effort to find such signals as long as they are looking for the right thing in the right place.

What would such techniques look like? For example, when scanning distant exoplanets, data anomalies such as abnormal atmospheres could be the clue to "complex living techniques in its environment , " said Joseph Lazio, a room astronomer. NASA jet engine experiments, said.

Another technique is the fast lightning issue of a star."If you see a star, say, blink and turn off faster than a millionth of a second, that's obviously not a natural phenomenon. It's not really that difficult, we can do it right away." Today on the benches in the lab. People have created lasers, for example, to release photons trillions of times a second, " said Joseph Lazio. Moreover, almost any reasonably advanced civilization can create such a strange thing.

Radio waves traveling through space at a certain frequency may also be the focal point of intelligent alien civilizations. Natural sources usually do not produce radio waves in a very narrow frequency range.

The search for life in the universe has historically focused on finding biological elements, or biomarkers, such as oxygen left behind when living organisms breathe. Today, we have many ways to detect biometrics.

Similarly, there are several other technical groups such as atmospheric pollution; superstructure reflects, absorbs or blocks light from the planet's host star;"self-emitting" signals such as artificial lighting, radio or laser communications and waste heat, are "an inevitable result of any kind of activity," said Einide Berdyugina, director of the Institute of Wrestling. Kiepenheuer Sun dealer in Freiburg, Germany, said.

There are also other programs looking for light signals, such as the 10-year initiative from Extraterrestrial Intelligence Search (SETI). The team of researchers is surveying thousands of stars.