Current Approaches to the Search for Life

Dan Werthimer, UC Berkeley Dan Werthimer, UC Berkeley

http://seti.berkeley.eduhttp://seti.berkeley.edu

Berkeley SETI GroupBerkeley SETI Group

David Anderson, Bob Bankay, Jeff Cobb, Charlie David Anderson, Bob Bankay, Jeff Cobb, Charlie Fenton,Fenton,

Andrew Howard, Terry Filiba, Josh Von Korff, Eric Andrew Howard, Terry Filiba, Josh Von Korff, Eric Korpela, Korpela,

Matt Lebofsky, Arielle Little, Geoff Marcy, Matt Lebofsky, Arielle Little, Geoff Marcy, Andrew Siemion, Mark Wagner, Shelley Wright, Andrew Siemion, Mark Wagner, Shelley Wright,

Dan WerthimerDan Werthimer

Frank Drake, Seti InstituteFrank Drake, Seti InstituteRem Stone, UC Santa CruzRem Stone, UC Santa Cruz

Jim Cordes, Laura Spitler, Cornell Jim Cordes, Laura Spitler, Cornell

NSF , NASA, Individual DonorsNSF , NASA, Individual Donors Xilinx, Sun/Oracle, Fujitsu Xilinx, Sun/Oracle, Fujitsu

Agilent, HP, Intel Agilent, HP, Intel

UC Berkeley SETI UC Berkeley SETI ProgramsPrograms

NameName Time ScaleTime Scale Search TypeSearch Type

SERENDIPSERENDIP secondsseconds radio sky radio sky surveysurvey

SETI@homeSETI@home mS - secondsmS - seconds radio sky radio sky surveysurvey

AstropulseAstropulse nS – uSnS – uS radio sky radio sky surveysurvey

Fly’s EyeFly’s Eye mSmS radio sky radio sky surveysurvey

SEVENDIPSEVENDIP nSnS visible visible targettedtargetted

SPOCKSPOCK 1000 seconds1000 seconds visible visible targettedtargetted

DYSONDYSON IR targettedIR targetted

Lick and Keck Telescopes – Geoff MarcyLick and Keck Telescopes – Geoff MarcyOptical SETI Survey: 650 starsOptical SETI Survey: 650 stars

Green Bank 300 foot Green Bank 300 foot telescopetelescope

SERENDIP IVSERENDIP IV

• 168M channels

• 100 MHz Band centered on 1420 MHz

Photos Courtesy NAIC Arecibo Observatory, a facility of the NSFPhotos Courtesy NAIC Arecibo Observatory, a facility of the NSF

Commensal Sky Survey at Commensal Sky Survey at Arecibo Arecibo

Data storage: NERSC HPSSData storage: NERSC HPSS

(Naional Energy Research Scientific Computing (Naional Energy Research Scientific Computing Center)Center)

The SETI@home ClientThe SETI@home Client

Volunteer Computing Volunteer Computing ProjectsProjects• AstronomyAstronomy

– SETI@home (Berkeley) SETI@home (Berkeley)

– Astropulse (Berkeley)Astropulse (Berkeley)

– Einstein@home: gravitational pulsar search (Caltech,…)Einstein@home: gravitational pulsar search (Caltech,…)

– PlanetQuest (SETI Institute)PlanetQuest (SETI Institute)

– Stardust@home (Berkeley, Univ. Washinton,…)Stardust@home (Berkeley, Univ. Washinton,…)

• Earth scienceEarth science

– Climateprediction.net (Oxford)Climateprediction.net (Oxford)

• Biology/MedicineBiology/Medicine

– Folding@home, Predictor@home (Stanford, Scripts)Folding@home, Predictor@home (Stanford, Scripts)

– FightAIDSathome: virtual drug discoveryFightAIDSathome: virtual drug discovery

• PhysicsPhysics

– LHC@home (Cern)LHC@home (Cern)

• OtherOther

– Web indexing/searchWeb indexing/search

– Internet Resource mapping (UC Berkeley)Internet Resource mapping (UC Berkeley)

Rosetta ScreensaverRosetta Screensaver

Citizen Science Projects Citizen Science Projects Thinking@home Thinking@home

• Stardust@home (UC Berkeley)Stardust@home (UC Berkeley)

• SetiQuest (Seti Institute)SetiQuest (Seti Institute)

• Galaxy Zoo (Galaxy Classification)Galaxy Zoo (Galaxy Classification)

• Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count (1900)Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count (1900)

• Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Monitor Network Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Monitor Network

• Clickworkers (mars crater identficiation - NASA)Clickworkers (mars crater identficiation - NASA)

• Ebird, NestWatch, FeederWatch, Urban Birds (Cornell Univ.)Ebird, NestWatch, FeederWatch, Urban Birds (Cornell Univ.)

• ParkScan (monitor San Francisco Parks)ParkScan (monitor San Francisco Parks)

• ScienceForCitizens.netScienceForCitizens.net

Stardust January 200919

Stardust (NASA)

CASPERCASPER Collaboration for Radio Astronomy Collaboration for Radio Astronomy Signal Processing and Electronics Signal Processing and Electronics

ResearchResearch

Collaborators Xilinx, Fujitsu, HP, Sun Microsystems, NSF, NASA, NRAO, NAIC, CFA (Havard/Smithsonian), Haystack (MIT), Caltech, Cornell,

CSIRO/ATNF,

JPL/DSN, South Africa KAT, Manchester/Jodrell Bank, GMRT (India),Oxford, Bologna, Metsahovi Observatory/Helsinki University,

University of California, Berkeley; Swinburne University (Australia), Seti Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara;

University of California, Los Angeles; CNRS (France), University of Maryland

Nancay Observatory, Univerity of Cape Town (South Africa), ASTRON (Netherlands), Academica Sinica (Taiwan), Cambridge,

Brigham Young University, Rhodes University (South Africa)

24

The Search for microsecond pulses at Arecibo and the Allen Telescope Array

Geoff Bower, Griffin Foster, Eric Korpela, Peter Geoff Bower, Griffin Foster, Eric Korpela, Peter McMahon,McMahon,

Andrew Siemion, Joeri van Leeuwen, Josh Von Korff, Andrew Siemion, Joeri van Leeuwen, Josh Von Korff, Mark Wagner, Dan Werthimer, and the ATA staff Mark Wagner, Dan Werthimer, and the ATA staff

Crab Giant Pulse DetectionCrab Giant Pulse Detection

Astropulse Volunteer Computing

uSec Dispersed Pulse Search

Did We Miss Something?

Dan Werthimer Dan Werthimer University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley

http://seti.berkeley.eduhttp://seti.berkeley.edu

Likely Likely YESYES – Examine – Examine history: history:

SETI ideas SETI ideas morphing over morphing over

200 years200 years

It’s naïve to think we know It’s naïve to think we know how best to search today, how best to search today, given our history of changing given our history of changing SETI fashion. SETI fashion.

• Multiple strategy is bestMultiple strategy is best

(IR, Vis, Radio, pulse, continuous, targetted(IR, Vis, Radio, pulse, continuous, targetted

sky survey…)sky survey…)

• Half of astronomy discoveries are serendipitous Half of astronomy discoveries are serendipitous

• Examine glitches in data Examine glitches in data

• Data Mining Experiments (Virtual Observatory)Data Mining Experiments (Virtual Observatory)

OPTICAL SETI - OPTICAL SETI - Example of anthropomorphic SETI Example of anthropomorphic SETI

1961 Charlie Townes Paper 1961 Charlie Townes Paper

largely ingored until 1999largely ingored until 1999

1971 Cyclops report calculates radio >> 1971 Cyclops report calculates radio >> opticaloptical

Today’s lasers can communicate across Today’s lasers can communicate across galaxygalaxy

Traditional SETI dogma: Traditional SETI dogma:

ultra narrow band sine wavesultra narrow band sine waves

barycentric, beacons, FGK starsbarycentric, beacons, FGK stars

21 cm21 cm

Future dogma: Future dogma:

many bandwidths, frequencies,many bandwidths, frequencies,

drifting signals, pulses, IR, Visible, Radiodrifting signals, pulses, IR, Visible, Radio

M stars, galaxies, data mining searchesM stars, galaxies, data mining searches

leakage and beacon searches leakage and beacon searches

Dyson Sphere, Lagrange Point Searches.. Dyson Sphere, Lagrange Point Searches..

Geoff Bower, et al.

Pulsed Communication – Wide-open Parameter Space

Moores Law – Instruments using FPGA’s: 2X per year(1,000,000 over 20 years)

Future SpectrometersFuture Spectrometers

2015 4 THz 400 beams 10 GHz each

2020 128 THz 12,800 beams

2025 4000 THz 40,000 beams

2030 128,000 THz 1M beams

Future TechnologiesFuture Technologies• RFI mitigation (no need to go to the moon)RFI mitigation (no need to go to the moon)

• All sky - wide bandwidth telescopesAll sky - wide bandwidth telescopes

• Pulsed high QE Vis/IR detectors Pulsed high QE Vis/IR detectors

(APD’s, SSPM’s…)(APD’s, SSPM’s…)

• New Algorithms (PCA/KLT/Hoteling)New Algorithms (PCA/KLT/Hoteling)

• New Computing TechnologiesNew Computing Technologies

FPGA’s, GPU’s, Quantum Computing?FPGA’s, GPU’s, Quantum Computing?

Use Sun As Gravitational Use Sun As Gravitational LensLens• Focus at 1000 AUFocus at 1000 AU

• Read License Plates on Extrasolar Read License Plates on Extrasolar PlanetPlanet

When will Earthlings find ET?When will Earthlings find ET?

• Equal probability per logarithmic time Equal probability per logarithmic time intervalinterval

• 10% chance in 10 years, 10% in 100 years,10% chance in 10 years, 10% in 100 years,

• 10% in 1000 years, 10% in 10,000 years,10% in 1000 years, 10% in 10,000 years,

• 10% in 100,000 years, 10% in 1M years,10% in 100,000 years, 10% in 1M years,

• 10% in 10M years, 10% in 100M, 10% in 1E910% in 10M years, 10% in 100M, 10% in 1E9

• 10% never10% never

SETI HAIKUSETI HAIKU

Searching for lifeSearching for lifeAnswers are revealedAnswers are revealedAbout ourselvesAbout ourselves

Paula Cook, Duke UniversityPaula Cook, Duke University

One million earthlingsOne million earthlingsBounded by optimismBounded by optimismLeave their PC’s onLeave their PC’s on

Dan SeidnerDan Seidner

To Learn More about SETITo Learn More about SETI

or Participate in SETI@homeor Participate in SETI@home

or Vote for Who Won or Vote for Who Won

““the Great Debate – the Great Debate –

Are We Alone?” Are We Alone?”

Dan Werthimer vs. Prof. Geoff MarcyDan Werthimer vs. Prof. Geoff Marcy

SETI.berkeley.edSETI.berkeley.eduu

Future SETI – whats neededFuture SETI – whats needed

• Public InterestPublic Interest

• Scientific Literacy Scientific Literacy

• Funding - Private, Industry, GovernmentFunding - Private, Industry, Government

• SETI experts (student SETI researchers)SETI experts (student SETI researchers)

• New Instruments New Instruments

(telescopes, signal processing)(telescopes, signal processing)

Gaussian CandidatesGaussian Candidates

Web site: 2 million hits/dayWeb site: 2 million hits/day 200,000 visitors/day 200,000 visitors/day

(stats & games popular; science less (stats & games popular; science less

popular)popular)

100,000 children, families100,000 children, families (including congress members and their kids)(including congress members and their kids)

> 7,000 schools> 7,000 schools

Desired SKA ParametersDesired SKA Parameters

• Wide bandwidthWide bandwidth

• 1 M beams1 M beams

• fat beamsfat beams

• short dwell times (~ 100 seconds)short dwell times (~ 100 seconds)

Search for Optical/Radio Signals from Dyson Sphere Candidates|

Charlie Conroy

• Looked for IR excess from >500 stars

• All stars had age > 1 Gigayear

• 33 stars found with 12m excess

• Searched for anomalous radio detection using SETI@home and SERENDIP IV databases

• Searched for optical pulse emission using OSETI experiment

• Thus far, none of the 33 sources have shown anomalous optical or radio emission

Color excess using 2MASS K band data and 12, 25, 60, & 100 micron IRAS data. An excess at K-[12] is clearly visible and disappears by K-[25]. Dotted lines are Gaussian fits to the distributions. The 33 IR excess candidates have K-[12] > 3 above the mean.