A student wants to target a big laser in the universe to attract extraterrestrials – IT Pro – .Geeks

A MIT student states that contemporary laser technology can in principle be used to send a laser beam into the universe as a beacon in order to attract the attention of extraterrestrial astronomers at a maximum distance of twenty thousand light-years.

James Clark, a student at MIT American, is able to direct a powerful laser from one to two megawatts using a telescope equipped with a 30 to 45-meter mirror. This would generate so much infrared radiation that the beam would be powerful enough to stand out from the radiation of our sun.

In this way, the extraterrestrials could detect the lighthouse at a distance of twenty thousand light-years from Earth, especially if there was an intelligent life. would be on some relatively close exoplanets, for example in the Trappist-1 system, which is at a distance of forty light-years. The laser beam is not just designed as a beacon. According to the study, the pulse laser can also be used to communicate short messages, much like it does with Morse code.

The idea seems far-fetched and more apparent to a sci-fi movie, but Clark points out that a laser from one up to two megawatts is comparable to the airborne laser of the US Air Force. It never came to light, but the idea was to place a huge laser in a Boeing 747 adapted to be able to fire ballistic missiles in the air. In addition, the very large telescope in Chile has a mirror with a diameter of 39 meters

By projecting such a laser beam from the Earth into space, problems may arise on earth. The invisible laser beam can reach a flux of 800 watts per m², which is not so far from the 1300 watts per square meter of the sun. This means that the eyes can be damaged if they look directly into the beam. Spacecraft cameras flying over the jet also face problems. That's why it seems best that Clark build the laser facility deep in the moon for safety reasons.

Clark acknowledges that this study does not constitute a direct appeal to the construction of such a laser facility. This study should mainly be considered as a feasibility study. "Whether it's a good idea or not, it's a discussion for the future," Clark says. The research appeared in the scientific journal The Astrophysical Journal under the title Optical Detection of Lasers with Short-Term Technology at Interstellar Distances.

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