Credit: Breakthrough Listen/ Danielle Futselaar
Cornell Universitys Akshay Suresh is leading the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS), a task concentrated on spotting repeated signals from the Milky Ways core as prospective proof of extraterrestrial life. By concentrating on dense star clusters and utilizing a narrow frequency range, BLIPSS intends to find signals that could be evidence of alien innovation.
Akshay Suresh, a graduate student at Cornell University, leads an amazing clinical venture– a groundbreaking mission to discover regular signals originating from the core of the Milky Way called the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS). Such repeated patterns might be the secret to unlocking the mysteries of extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy. Suresh and his co-authors detail the projects results thus far in a paper that was just recently released 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 thick parish of stars and possibly habitable exoplanets, the BLIPSS group enhances the chances of capturing compelling proof of extraterrestrial innovation. The galaxys core holds potential as a tactical website for a beacon if an alien civilization desired to communicate with other civilizations throughout the Milky Way.
” BLIPSS showcases the innovative potential of software application as a science multiplier for SETI,” said Suresh.
“Until now, radio SETI has actually primarily dedicated its efforts to the search for continuous signals,” said Gajjar. Notably, this research study marks the first-ever detailed endeavor to perform thorough searches for these signals.”
The team began by testing their algorithm on known pulsars, effectively spotting the anticipated periodic emissions. Consequently, they turned their attention to a dataset of scans of the Galactic Center caught by the Breakthrough Listen instrument on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia. Unlike pulsars, which discharge signals across a broad series of radio frequencies, BLIPSS narrowed its search to duplicating signals within a narrower frequency variety– 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 might represent purposeful technological activities by intelligent civilizations. Sureshs method presents an unique method to sort through this metaphorical haystack, allowing the group to recognize tantalizing evidence of sophisticated extraterrestrial life forms.
Reference: “A 4– 8 GHz Galactic Center Search for Periodic Technosignatures” by Akshay Suresh, Vishal Gajjar, Pranav Nagarajan, Sofia Z. Sheikh, Andrew P. V. Siemion, Matt Lebofsky, David H. E. MacMahon, Danny C. Price and Steve Croft, 30 May 2023, Astronomical Journal.DOI: 10.3847/ 1538-3881/ acccf0.
Akshay Suresh, a graduate student at Cornell University, spearheads an extraordinary clinical venture– a groundbreaking objective to reveal regular signals emanating from the core of the Milky Way called the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS). BLIPSS is a cooperation in between Cornell University, the SETI Institute, and Breakthrough Listen. Unlike pulsars, which emit signals across a broad variety of radio frequencies, BLIPSS narrowed its search to repeating signals within a narrower frequency variety– covering less than a tenth of the width of a typical FM radio station.
