Abstract
ABSTRACT A search was conducted for laser signals, both sub-second pulses and continuous emission, from the regions of the sky opposite Proxima and Alpha Centauri. These regions are located at the foci of the gravitational lensing caused by the Sun, ideal for amplifying transmissions between our Solar system and those two nearest stellar neighbours. The search was conducted using two objective prism telescopes operating with exposure times of 0.25 s, enabling detection of sub-second laser pulses coming from the solar gravitational foci. During 6 months in 2020 and 2021, 88 000 exposures for Proxima Cen and 47 000 exposures for Alpha Cen were obtained. No evidence was detected of light pulses or continuous laser emission in the wavelength range of 380–950 nm. We would have detected a laser having a power of just 100 W, for a benchmark 1-m laser launcher that was diffraction-limited and located at the Sun’s gravitational focus 550 au away. To be detected, that beam must intercept Earth either by intention or, by accident, or if intended for a probe near Earth that is communicating with another one at the solar gravitational lens. These non-detections augment a previous non-detection of laser light coming directly from Proxima Centauri conducted with the HARPS spectrometer on the ESO 3.6-m telescope.
Highlights
The Milky Way Galaxy may contain a network of mutually communicating spacecraft stationed near stars (e.g., Bracewell 1973; Freitas 1980; Maccone 2014, 2021; Gillon 2014, Hippke 2020, 2021ab; Gertz 2018, 2021)
In August 2020, we initiated a search for monochromatic optical light from the Solar gravitational lens (SGL) focal regions located in the sky opposite four nearby stars, Tau Ceti, Proxima Centauri, and Alpha Centauri AB
Using the larger RASA telescope alone, we found 58 candidate monochromatic light pulses from the SGL region of Proxima Centauri and 19 candidate monochromatic pulses from the SGL region of Alpha Centauri
Summary
The Milky Way Galaxy may contain a network of mutually communicating spacecraft stationed near stars (e.g., Bracewell 1973; Freitas 1980; Maccone 2014, 2021; Gillon 2014, Hippke 2020, 2021ab; Gertz 2018, 2021). The gravitational focusing of laser communication by stars may serve as the fiber-optic conduit of a Galactic internet This million-fold amplification of communication signals motivates a search for spacecraft at the gravitational focus regions of one star by its nearby stars (e.g., Gillon 2014, Hippke 2021, and Gertz 2021, Maccone 2021). In August 2020, we initiated a search for monochromatic optical light from the Solar gravitational lens (SGL) focal regions located in the sky opposite four nearby stars, Tau Ceti, Proxima Centauri, and Alpha Centauri AB. Those stars do not reside within a few degrees of the ecliptic plane, so the Earth is never positioned in the SGL communication beam. This paper describes a search for laser emission, pulsed and continuous, from the SGL focus regions opposite the Sun from Proxima and Alpha Centauri
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