The Ĝ Infrared Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations With Large Energy Supplies. I. Background and Justification

Wright, Jason T.; Mullan, B.; Sigurd̵sson, Steinn; Povich, Matthew S.

doi:10.1088/0004-637x/792/1/26

Cited by 102 publications

(105 citation statements)

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“…A comparison of resolved mid-IR and radio images of nearby galaxies on kpc scales can also be useful in identifying artificial mid-IR emission from advanced civilisations that lie between the Types II and III. While Wright et al (2014a) venture that Type III civilisations should emerge rapidly from Type IIs, it might be that some specific galactic localities are preferred (see e.g. Cirkovic & Bradbury 2006) or are to be best avoided, e.g.…”

Section: Conclusion and Next Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a series of papers, Wright et al (2014a) and Wright et al (2014b) have presented a detailed description of our current ability to detect the signature of advanced Kardashev Type III civilisations (Kardashev 1964) via the prominent waste heat signature they are expected to produce. Type III civilisations are defined by Kardashev (1964) as those capable of harnessing the stellar energy supply of a galaxy (∼10 38 Watts).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Application of the mid-IR radio correlation to the Ĝ sample and the search for advanced extraterrestrial civilisations

Garrett

2015

A&A

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Wright et al. (2014, ApJ, 792, 26) have embarked on a search for advanced Karadashev Type III civilisations via the compilation of a sample of sources with extreme mid-IR emission and colours. The aim is to furnish a list of candidate galaxies that might harbour an advanced Kardashev Type III civilisation; in this scenario, the mid-IR emission is then primarily associated with waste heat energy byproducts. I apply the mid-IR radio correlation to this Glimpsing Heat from Alien Technology (Ĝ) sample, a catalogue of 93 candidate galaxies compiled by Griffith et al. (2015, ApJS, 217, 25). I demonstrate that the mid-IR and radio luminosities are correlated for the sample, determining a k-corrected value of q 22 = 1.35 ± 0.42. By comparison, a similar measurement for 124 galaxies drawn from the First Look Survey (FLS) has q 22 = 0.87 ± 0.27. The statistically significant difference of the mean value of q 22 for these two samples, taken together with their more comparable far-IR properties, suggests that theĜ sample shows excessive emission in the mid-IR. The fact that theĜ sample largely follows the mid-IR radio correlation strongly suggests that the vast majority of these sources are associated with galaxies in which natural astrophysical processes are dominant. This simple application of the mid-IR radio correlation can substantially reduce the number of false positives in theĜ catalogue since galaxies occupied by advanced Kardashev Type III civilisations would be expected to exhibit very high values of q. I identify nine outliers in the sample with q 22 > 2 of which at least three have properties that are relatively well explained via standard astrophysical interpretations e.g. dust emission associated with nascent star formation and/or nuclear activity from a heavily obscured AGN. The other outliers have not been studied in any great detail, and are deserving of further observation. I also note that the comparison of resolved mid-IR and radio images of galaxies on sub-galactic (kpc) scales can also be useful in identifying and recognising artificial mid-IR emission from less advanced intermediate Type II/III civilisations. Nevertheless, from the bulk properties of theĜ sample, I conclude that Kardashev Type III civilisations are either very rare or do not exist in the local Universe.

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Section: Conclusion and Next Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of the mid-IR radio correlation to the Ĝ sample and the search for advanced extraterrestrial civilisations

Garrett

2015

A&A

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“…The "tragedy of the commons" that arises from an overpopulated planet can be alleviated through voluntary restrictions on breeding and changes in personal lifestyle 3 . Humanity can even survive longterm changes in the sun by first engaging in geoengineering 4 and eventually migrating to space settlements [5][6][7] . But if we already possess the knowledge to overcome these challenges, then why do such problems persist?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Transformative Value of Liberating Mars

Haqq-MisraJacob

2016

New Space

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Humanity has the knowledge to solve its problems but lacks the moral insight to implement these ideas on a global scale. New moral insight can be obtained through transformative experiences that allow us to examine and refine our underlying preferences, and the eventual landing of humans on Mars will be of tremendous transformative value. Before such an event, I propose that we liberate Mars from any controlling interests of Earth and allow Martian settlements to develop into a second independent instance of human civilization. Such a designation is consistent with the Outer Space Treaty and allows Mars to serve as a test bed and point of comparison by which to learn new information about the phenomenon of civilization. Rather than develop Mars through a series of government and corporate colonies, let us steer the future by liberating Mars and embracing the concept of planetary citizenship.Keywords: space policy, Mars exploration and settlement, space colonization, transformative value, planetary citizenship EXTENDING OUR MORALITY Technological solutions to humanity's major problems are known. Climate change can be addressed through a strategy of mitigation, adaptation, and (if needed) geoengineering in order to reduce our emissions and find cleaner sources of energy 1,2 . The "tragedy of the commons" that arises from an overpopulated planet can be alleviated through voluntary restrictions on breeding and changes in personal lifestyle 3 . Humanity can even survive longterm changes in the sun by first engaging in geoengineering 4 and eventually migrating to space settlements [5][6][7] . But if we already possess the knowledge to overcome these challenges, then why do such problems persist?Ecologist Garrett Hardin noted that solving the population problem "requires a fundamental extension in morality" 3 , and similar claims can be made about our failed efforts to address climate change, poverty, economic injustice, and other global challenges. One resolution to this dilemma is Plato's "philosopher king" or a similar "benevolent dictator" who enacts fair and consistent solutions to global problems. Barring such a non-reality, humans must find a way to develop new moral tools that will help to reduce the environmental impact of our civilization. There is no shortage of suggestions for how humanity should extend its morality, and the problem is often reduced to choosing among competitors. Contemporary political, religious, economic, or philosophical discourse is

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“…This is the essence of the so-called (Gray, 2015) Fermi Paradox: if it's so "easy" to travel across interstellar space, then "where is everybody?" This line of reasoning has been used in attempts to discredit SETI as a serious endeavor, and many SETI theory papers dedicate themselves to rebutting it (see Wright et al, 2014, and citations therein for numerous examples).To illustrate this another way, a foundational concept in SETI, the Drake Equation, contains a final term, "L", representing the length of time a civilization may be transmitting signals, or the "lifetime" of a civilization (Drake, 1980;Shostak, 2011). A civilization that is destroyed (whether by self-destruction or some external cataclysm) will probably not be actively communicating, and so the opportunities for detecting alien civilizations are extremely sensitive to this term.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Visions of human futures in space and SETI

Wright

Oman-Reagan

2017

International Journal of Astrobiology

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We discuss how visions for the futures of humanity in space and SETI are intertwined, and are shaped by prior work in the fields and by science fiction. This appears in the language used in the fields, and in the sometimes implicit assumptions made in discussions of them. We give examples from articulations of the so-called Fermi Paradox, discussions of the settlement of the Solar System (in the near future) and the Galaxy (in the far future), and METI. We argue that science fiction, especially the campy variety, is a significant contributor to the "giggle factor" that hinders serious discussion and funding for SETI and Solar System settlement projects. We argue that humanity's long-term future in space will be shaped by our short-term visions for who goes there and how. Because of the way they entered the fields, we recommend avoiding the term "colony" and its cognates when discussing the settlement of space, as well as other terms with similar pedigrees. We offer examples of science fiction and other writing that broaden and challenge our visions of human futures in space and SETI. In an appendix, we use an analogy with 1 the well-funded and relatively uncontroversial searches for the dark matter particle to argue that SETI's lack of funding in the national science portfolio is primarily a problem of perception, not inherent merit.Keywords: SETI -science fiction -human spaceflight -colonialism -futures Visions of SETI and Human SpaceflightThe topics of SETI, human spaceflight, and humanity's long-term futures are intertwined. As we engage with outer space we bring history and culture with us and it becomes a "cultural landscape" (Gorman, 2009), a place that shapes and is in turn shaped by culture. Steven J. Dick 1 has called for a "systematic approach" applying anthropology to SETI and finds evidence in historical collaborations that this would be beneficial to both fields (Dick, 2006). As a collaboration between an astronomer and an anthropologist, this paper draws on both interdisciplinary SETI work and anthropology to discuss factors shaping the cultural landscapes of space with special attention to ways we imagine and talk about possible futures through science fiction.Human spaceflight, extraterrestrial intelligence, and the distant future are commonly completely blended in science fiction. Visions of humans traveling among the stars and encountering alien life are perhaps the quintessential science fiction trope. At first glance, it would seem that the endeavors of SETI and human spaceflight are generally more separated than this: the former has historically comprised relatively small, mostly privately-funded efforts concentrated among radio astronomers and a few others; the latter has comprised major governmental efforts by the United States, the former Soviet Union, Russia, and their partner nations for decades. 2Here we consider the more ambitious projects for human spaceflight of the sort aspired to by many governments but never (so far) seriously attempted: the permanent settlement of the So...

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The Ĝ Infrared Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations With Large Energy Supplies. I. Background and Justification

Cited by 102 publications

References 57 publications

Application of the mid-IR radio correlation to the Ĝ sample and the search for advanced extraterrestrial civilisations

Application of the mid-IR radio correlation to the Ĝ sample and the search for advanced extraterrestrial civilisations

The Transformative Value of Liberating Mars

Visions of human futures in space and SETI

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