Zenith Grant Awardee
Dr. Abraham Loeb
Harvard College Observatory
Co-Investigators
Matias Zaldarriaga, <i>Harvard College Observatory</i>
Project Title
Utilizing the Mileura Wide-Field Array to Search for Intelligent Extra-Terrestrial Life
Project Summary
The question of whether intelligent life exists elsewhere is one of the most fundamental unknowns about our Universe. If conclusive evidence for life elsewhere is found, it could revolutionize the way we view our place in the cosmos. Over the past decade numerous extra-solar planets have been discovered, providing new urgency for addressing this question. Coincidentally, new radio observatories are currently being constructed to detect low-frequency emission from cosmic hydrogen in the infant Universe. The frequency range of these experiments happens to overlap with the range of frequencies used for radar, TV and radio broadcasting on Earth. We propose to examine the prospects for detecting similar radio signals from extra-solar planets that would indicate the presence of intelligent life there. The PI and Co-I are members of one of the funded low-frequency experiments, namely the Mileura Wide-Field Array (MWA) in western Australia, which is expected to start observations in a few years. Our study would help design the observing strategy and data recording/analysis that would optimize the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life. We will also explore the likely characteristics of the anticipated signal and ways of disentangling it from other astronomical emissions.
Technical Abstract
The question of whether intelligent life exists elsewhere is one of the most fundamental unknowns about our Universe. If conclusive evidence for life elsewhere is found, it could revolutionize the way we view our place in the cosmos. Over the past decade numerous extra-solar planets have been discovered, providing new urgency for addressing this question. Coincidentally, new radio observatories are currently being constructed to detect low-frequency emission from cosmic hydrogen in the infant Universe. The frequency range of these experiments happens to overlap with the range of frequencies used for radar, TV and radio broadcasting on Earth. We propose to examine the prospects for detecting similar radio signals from extra-solar planets that would indicate the presence of intelligent life there. The PI and Co-I are members of one of the funded low-frequency experiments, namely the Mileura Wide-Field Array (MWA) in western Australia, which is expected to start observations in a few years. Our study would help design the observing strategy and data recording/analysis that would optimize the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life. We will also explore the likely characteristics of the anticipated signal and ways of disentangling it from astronomical foregrounds.
QSpace Latest
PressRelease: Precision experiment puts pressure on quantum collapse theories
Quantum mechanics, the theory governing the microscopic world, is famously counterintuitive. A particle can exist in a superposition of multiple states, such as different positions, until a measurement is performed. At that point, the wavefunction describing that particle appears to ‘collapse’ to a single outcome. This puzzle lies at the heart of the measurement problem, famously illustrated by Schrödinger’s cat, suspended between life and death until observed. The XENONnT detector, which was designed to be sensitive to rare physics events, has tightened constraints on one family of possible solutions to the measurement problem, known as ‘collapse theories.’ The work, which was partially funded by FQxI, was reported in Physical Review Letters in March 2026. Image credit: XENON Collaboration.