The Search for Extraterrestrials: Intercepting Alien Signals (Springer Praxis Books Popular Astronomy)

In **The Search for Extraterrestrials**, Monte Ross explores in detail the key problems in starting a search, the programs that have failed and those that continue. He includes the fundamental considerations and the physics of the necessary laser, UV, IR and RF technologies, as well as coding and information theory considerations. The author explores future possibilities providing the reader with a comprehensive view of the many ways signals from aliens could be sent and explains why the search using RF leaves more than 99% of the electromagnetic spectrum unexamined. He also demonstrates the many parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, considering the next likely steps in this unique enterprise. Given man’s intrinsic nature to explore, the search will continue in one form or many, until success is achieved, which may be tomorrow or a millennium away. In summary, Monte Ross proposes to get around the failure of a fruitless search at radio frequencies by developing, in a precise way, the argument for searching for transmissions in the optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum. 0387734538......Page 1 The Search for Extraterrestrials: Intercepting Alien Signals......Page 3 Illustrations......Page 7 Author's preface......Page 9 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Part 1: The likelihood of extraterrestrial intelligence......Page 13 1 Vast distances and long travel times......Page 14 2 Stars, their evolution and types......Page 20 3 Planets and our Sun......Page 30 4 The many constraints on life......Page 35 5 Why would anyone transmit to us?......Page 43 6 The Drake Equation and habitable planets......Page 50 Part 2: The basics of space communication......Page 65 7 Where to look in the electromagnetic spectrum?......Page 66 8 Receiver basics and how big is big?......Page 78 9 Noise and limitations on sensitivity......Page 87 Part 3: Programs in SETI......Page 98 10 A brief history of SETI......Page 99 11 Radio-frequency and microwave SETI, including the Allen Telescope Array......Page 102 12 Early optical SETI and the all-sky Harvard system......Page 111 Part 4: Possibilities in SETI......Page 127 13. The PhotonStar project......Page 128 14. Key issues for SETI......Page 135 15. Other parts of the spectrum, decoding the data and forming pictures......Page 142 16. Future systems for intercepting alien lasers......Page 151 Appendix......Page 162 Follow Monte Ross of the Laser Space Signal Observatory as he explores the challenges in searching for evidence of extraterrestrials, the programs that have failed, and those that continue. The book circumvents the failure of searches at radio frequencies by being the first to explore electromagnetic frequencies besides RF and microwave as possible signal sources, taking into consideration all the ways that extraterrestrials might try to communicate with us. Throughout the presentation, all the ideas, concepts, and approaches are explained clearly, without the use of complex math or physics.