MSGID: 1:317/3 6476cd9f   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Quest for alien signals in the heart of the Milky Way takes off    
      
     Date:   
         May 30, 2023   
     Source:   
         SETI Institute   
     Summary:   
         A graduate student is spearheading an extraordinary scientific   
         endeavor - - a groundbreaking mission to uncover periodic signals   
         emanating from the core of the Milky Way called the Breakthrough   
         Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS). Such   
         repetitive patterns could be the key to unlocking the mysteries   
         of extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Akshay Suresh, a graduate student at Cornell University, spearheads   
   an extraordinary scientific endeavor -- a groundbreaking mission to   
   uncover periodic signals emanating from the core of the Milky Way called   
   the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals   
   (BLIPSS). Such repetitive patterns could be the key to unlocking the   
   mysteries of extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy. Suresh and his   
   co-authors detail the project's results thus far in a paper accepted for   
   publication in the Astronomical Journal, "A 4-8 GHz Galactic Center Search   
   for Periodic Technosignatures."  BLIPSS is a collaboration between Cornell   
   University, the SETI Institute, and Breakthrough Listen. By directing   
   their focus towards the central region of the Milky Way, with its dense   
   congregation of stars and possibly habitable exoplanets, the BLIPSS team   
   amplifies the odds of capturing compelling evidence of extraterrestrial   
   technology. If an alien civilization wanted to communicate with other   
   civilizations throughout the Milky Way, the galaxy's core holds potential   
   as a strategic site for a beacon.   
      
   "BLIPSS showcases the cutting-edge potential of software as a science   
   multiplier for SETI," said Suresh.   
      
   SETI Institute Astronomer Dr. Vishal Gajjar is one of Suresh's advisors   
   on the project. "Until now, radio SETI has primarily dedicated its   
   efforts to the search for continuous signals," said Gajjar. "Our study   
   sheds light on the remarkable energy efficiency of a train of pulses as   
   a means of interstellar communication across vast distances. Notably,   
   this study marks the first-ever comprehensive endeavor to conduct   
   in-depth searches for these signals."  The team began by testing their   
   algorithm on known pulsars, successfully detecting the expected periodic   
   emissions. Subsequently, they turned their attention to a dataset of scans   
   of the Galactic Center captured by the Breakthrough Listen instrument   
   on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia. Unlike pulsars,   
   which emit signals across a broad range of radio frequencies, BLIPSS   
   narrowed its search to repeating signals within a narrower frequency   
   range -- covering less than a tenth of the width of an average FM radio   
   station. Dr. Steve Croft, the Breakthrough Listen Project Scientist for   
   GBT and Adjunct Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, highlighted   
   the significance of this approach, as it combines narrow bandwidths   
   with periodic patterns that could signify deliberate technological   
   activities by intelligent civilizations. Suresh's technique presents a   
   novel methodology to sift through this metaphorical haystack, enabling   
   the team to identify tantalizing evidence of advanced extraterrestrial   
   life forms.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Space_&_Time   
                   # Galaxies # Astronomy # Space_Telescopes # Astrophysics #   
                   Space_Exploration # Asteroids,_Comets_and_Meteors   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Milky_Way o Local_Group o Globular_cluster o Magellanic_Clouds   
             o Carl_Sagan o Phoenix_(spacecraft) o Extraterrestrial_life   
             o Mars_Exploration_Rover   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by SETI_Institute. Note: Content may   
   be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Akshay Suresh, Vishal Gajjar, Pranav Nagarajan, Sofia Z. Sheikh,   
      Andrew   
         P. V. Siemion, Matt Lebofsky, David H. E. MacMahon, Danny   
         C. Price, Steve Croft. A 4-8 GHz Galactic Center Search for   
         Periodic Technosignatures.   
      
         The Astronomical Journal, 2023; 165 (6): 255 DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/   
         acccf0   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230530174259.htm   
      
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