Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
ABSTRACT The Galactic plane was searched for transient, monochromatic light at optical and near-IR wavelengths to detect pulses shorter than 1 s. An objective-prism Schmidt telescope of 0.28-m aperture and a CMOS camera were used to observe 973 square deg, with 8864 exposures of 1-s each, within a strip 2.1 deg wide along the Galactic plane, from Galactic longitude −4 deg to +248 deg. All exposures were analysed for transient, monochromatic sources using a ‘difference image’ algorithm that yielded 11 candidate sources. All 11 sources were found to be associated with either astrophysical emission-line objects or aircraft with subsecond blinking lights. Our survey ‘rediscovered’ many Wolf–Rayet stars, M dwarf flare stars, and planetary nebulae. It also identified an aircraft, of unknown type, that apparently had a nearly monochromatic lamp and a xenon lamp. This survey would have revealed optical and near-IR pulses having a power of ∼180 GW (wavelength dependent) if emitted by a 10-m aperture laser located 1 kiloparsec away. These non-detections of laser pulses from the Galactic plane, including a 10-deg region towards the Galactic centre, add to the non-detections from more than 5000 nearby stars. Indeed, all-sky surveys for emission-line objects (e.g. ionized gas, supernovae remnants, and active galactic nuclei) would have revealed lasers of a wide range of average brightness, wavelength, and cadence. The absence of beacons reveals more of a SETI desert, notably at the intensely surveyed optical and radio wavelengths.
Building similarity graph...
Analyzing shared references across papers
Loading...
Geoffrey W. Marcy
Nathaniel K. Tellis
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Health Awareness (United States)
Building similarity graph...
Analyzing shared references across papers
Loading...
Marcy et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
www.synapsesocial.com/papers/6a0f39a704e2b0ba896cb4c5 — DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad227