The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Theory and Practice

By (author) Jason Wright, Macy Huston

Publication date:

Q3 2024

Length of book:

500 pages

Publisher

Institute Of Physics Publishing

Dimensions:

254x178mm
7x10"

ISBN-13: 9780750347945

BOOK DESCRIPTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS

The book is designed as a textbook for a graduate or advanced undergraduate course in SETI, exploring the history, theory, and methods of the field. It provides a history and description of modern methods in the major types of SETI (including searches for radio, laser, solar system, and artifact technosignatures) theoretical concepts in SETI (including the Drake equation, Kardaschev scale, and Fermi Paradox), different philosophical approaches to SETI (including game theory, Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), and anthropocentrism), and social aspects of the field (including postdetection protocols and ethical considerations).

Key Features:

Written by a leading researcher in the field

Provides a broad, interdisciplinary approach

Based on the successful SETI courses at Penn State

Flexible assignments and identification of key primary sources allows adaptation for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and even non-astronomy students in related fields

1. Introduction and Overview:
a) Technosignatures, and SETI as a discipline and part of astrobiology.
b) Context: Extrasolar planets, Habitable Zones, future missions
c) Perhaps: introduction to key astronomy concepts
2. Radio Technosignatures
a) Project Ozma, Cocconi & Morrison
b) Frequency / time compression
c) The Water Hole
d) Radio astronomy and terms
e) The Wow! Signal and BLC-1
f) Detectability
g) Modern methods
3. Laser Technosignatures
a) Schwartz & Townes
b) The Horowitz approach
c) Optical astronomy and terms
d) Detectability
e) Modern Methods
4. Solar System Technosignatures
a) Bracewell probes
b) Detectability
c) Modern methods
5. Artifact Technosignatures
a) Dyson spheres
b) Megastructures in transit
c) Detectability
d) Modern methods
6. Generalized SETI
a) Anomaly detection b) Machine learning and big data
c) Modern methods
7. Other technosignatures
8. Strategies of SETI
a) Communication SETI
b) Beacons and Schelling Points
c) Anthropocentrism
d) The Nine Axes of Merit
e) Upper limits
9. The Drake Equation, and the Kardashev Scale
10. The Fermi Paradox: the optimists’ puzzle
a) Fermi’s question and the Hart-Tipler argument
b) Galactic settlement
c) “Solutions” to the paradox
11. METI
a) Examples of METI
b) Debates of METI
12. Post-detection Protocols
13. Popular Culture
a) UFOs and the Face on Mars
b) Tabby’s Star and popular interest
14. Ethics and Futures
15. History:
a) Pre-1959: from monsters to aliens
b) 1959-1964: the birth of Modern SETI
c) 1965-1993: the era of government support in the US and USSR
d) 1993-2015: the lean years
e) 2015-: resurgence