%0 Generic %1 marcy2022search %A Marcy, Geoffrey W. %A Tellis, Nathaniel K. %A Wishnow, Edward H. %D 2022 %K tifr %T A Search for Monochromatic Light Toward the Galactic Centre %U http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.13561 %X A region 140 square degrees toward the Galactic Centre was searched for monochromatic optical light, both pulses shorter than 1 sec and continuous emission. A novel instrument was constructed that acquires optical spectra of every point within 6 square degrees every second, able to distinguish lasers from astrophysical sources. The system consists of a modified Schmidt telescope, a wedge prism over the 0.28-meter aperture, and a fast CMOS camera with 9500 x 6300 pixels. During 2021, a total of 34800 exposures were obtained and analyzed for monochromatic sources, both sub-second pulses and continuous in time. No monochromatic light was found. A benchmark laser with a 10-meter aperture and located 100 light years away would be detected if it had a power more than ~60 megawatt during 1 sec, and from 1000 light years 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.

@misc{marcy2022search, abstract = {A region 140 square degrees toward the Galactic Centre was searched for monochromatic optical light, both pulses shorter than 1 sec and continuous emission. A novel instrument was constructed that acquires optical spectra of every point within 6 square degrees every second, able to distinguish lasers from astrophysical sources. The system consists of a modified Schmidt telescope, a wedge prism over the 0.28-meter aperture, and a fast CMOS camera with 9500 x 6300 pixels. During 2021, a total of 34800 exposures were obtained and analyzed for monochromatic sources, both sub-second pulses and continuous in time. No monochromatic light was found. A benchmark laser with a 10-meter aperture and located 100 light years away would be detected if it had a power more than ~60 megawatt during 1 sec, and from 1000 light years 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.}, added-at = {2022-08-30T07:43:35.000+0200}, author = {Marcy, Geoffrey W. and Tellis, Nathaniel K. and Wishnow, Edward H.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/20466a30cd8c2e1945017018cc8b63c15/citekhatri}, description = {A Search for Monochromatic Light Toward the Galactic Centre}, interhash = {6578b8517a9586890fa13dfe17f858c3}, intrahash = {0466a30cd8c2e1945017018cc8b63c15}, keywords = {tifr}, note = {cite arxiv:2208.13561Comment: Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, timestamp = {2022-08-30T07:43:35.000+0200}, title = {A Search for Monochromatic Light Toward the Galactic Centre}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.13561}, year = 2022 }