The TRAPPIST-1 system is a compact system of at least seven exoplanets that are similar in size to Earth. Astronomers from Pennsylvania State University and the SETI Institute spent 28 hours scanning the system for signs of alien radio technology using the Allen Telescope Array. This project marks the longest single-target search for radio signals from TRAPPIST-1. Although astronomers found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology, their work introduced new ways to search for wireless techno-signatures in the future.
This artist's impression shows a surface view of one of the exoplanets in the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system. Image credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser / Spaceengine.org.
TRAPPIST-1 is an ultracool dwarf star located 38.8 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius.
This star is barely larger than Jupiter and has only 8% the mass of the Sun. It rotates rapidly and produces an energetic flare of ultraviolet light.
TRAPPIST-1 is the home planet of seven transit planets named TRAPPIST-1b, c, d, e, f, g, and h.
All of these planets are the same size or slightly smaller than Earth and Venus, and have very short orbital periods of 1.51, 2.42, 4.04, 6.06, 9.21, 12.35, and 20 days, respectively.
Presumably they are all tidally locked, meaning that the same side of the planet always faces the star, just as the same side of the moon always points towards the Earth. This creates a persistent night side and a persistent day side for each planet in TRAPPIST-1.
Three of the planets, TRAPPIST-1e, f, and g, are located in the star's habitable zone, meaning they may have an environment suitable for life.
“The TRAPPIST-1 system is relatively close to Earth and has detailed information about the planet's orbit, making it an excellent natural laboratory for testing these technologies,” said Penn State graduate student Nick Tasei said.
“The methods and algorithms we developed for this project could eventually be applied to other star systems, increasing the likelihood of finding regular communications between planets beyond our solar system (if they exist). ).
Tusay and his colleagues focused on a phenomenon called interplanetary occultations.
These occultations occur when one planet moves in front of another. If intelligent life exists in that star system, it is possible that radio signals sent between the planets could leak and be detected from Earth.
Astronomers used the upgraded Allen Telescope Array to scan a wide range of frequencies, looking for narrowband signals that could be a possible sign of alien technology.
They filtered through millions of potential signals and narrowed it down to about 11,000 candidates for further analysis.
They detected 2,264 of these signals during the predicted interplanetary occultation period. However, none of the signals were of non-human origin.
New features of the Allen Telescope Array include advanced software to filter signals, helping researchers separate possible alien signals from those on Earth.
They believe that improving these techniques and focusing on phenomena such as interplanetary occultations could increase the chances of detecting alien signals in the future.
Although scientists did not find any alien signals this time, they plan to continue refining their search techniques and exploring other star systems.
Future explorations using larger and more powerful telescopes could help scientists detect even fainter signals and expand our understanding of the universe.
“This study shows that we are getting closer to detecting radio signals similar to those we send into space,” Tusey said.
“Most searches assume some kind of intent, such as a beacon, because our receivers have a sensitivity limit to the minimum transmit power above what we transmit unintentionally.”
“But with better instruments, such as the upcoming Square Kilometer Array, we may soon be able to detect signals from alien civilizations communicating with our spacecraft.”
of the team result will appear in astronomy magazine.
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Nick Tasei others. 2024. TRAPPIST-1 wireless technology signature search using the Allen Telescope Array. A.J.in press. arXiv: 2409.08313
Source: www.sci.news
