2022MNRAS.515.3898M -
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 515, 3898-3910 (2022/September-3)
A search for monochromatic light towards the Galactic Centre.
MARCY G.W., TELLIS N.K. and WISHNOW E.H.
Abstract (from CDS):
A region 140 square degrees towards the Galactic Centre was searched for monochromatic optical light, both pulses shorter than 1 s and continuous emission. A novel instrument was constructed that obtains optical spectra of every point within 6 square deg every second, able to distinguish lasers from astrophysical sources. The system consists of a modified Schmidt telescope, a wedge prism over the 0.28-m aperture, and a fast CMOS camera with 9500 × 6300 pixels. During 2021, a total of 34 800 exposures were obtained and analysed for monochromatic sources, both subsecond pulses and continuous in time. No monochromatic light was found. A benchmark laser with a 10-m aperture and located 100 light years (ly) away would be detected if it had a power more than ∼60 megawatt (MW) during 1 s, and from 1000 ly away, 6000 MW is required. This non-detection of optical lasers adds to previous optical SETI non-detections from more than 5000 nearby stars of all masses, from the Solar gravitational lens focal points of Alpha Centauri, and from all-sky searches for broadband optical pulses. These non-detections, along with those of broadband pulses, constitute a growing SETI desert in the optical domain.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
extraterrestrial intelligence - Galaxy: centre - techniques: spectroscopy
Simbad objects:
9
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