The Astronomical Journal (Jan 2023)
A VERITAS/Breakthrough Listen Search for Optical Technosignatures
- A. Acharyya,
- C. B. Adams,
- A. Archer,
- P. Bangale,
- P. Batista,
- W. Benbow,
- A. Brill,
- M. Capasso,
- M. Errando,
- A. Falcone,
- Q. Feng,
- J. P. Finley,
- G. M. Foote,
- L. Fortson,
- A. Furniss,
- S. Griffin,
- W. Hanlon,
- D. Hanna,
- O. Hervet,
- C. E. Hinrichs,
- J. Hoang,
- J. Holder,
- T. B. Humensky,
- W. Jin,
- P. Kaaret,
- M. Kertzman,
- M. Kherlakian,
- D. Kieda,
- T. K. Kleiner,
- N. Korzoun,
- S. Kumar,
- M. J. Lang,
- M. Lundy,
- G. Maier,
- C. E. McGrath,
- M. J. Millard,
- H. R. Miller,
- J. Millis,
- C. L. Mooney,
- P. Moriarty,
- R. Mukherjee,
- S. O’Brien,
- R. A. Ong,
- M. Pohl,
- E. Pueschel,
- J. Quinn,
- K. Ragan,
- P. T. Reynolds,
- D. Ribeiro,
- E. Roache,
- J. L. Ryan,
- I. Sadeh,
- L. Saha,
- M. Santander,
- G. H. Sembroski,
- R. Shang,
- D. Tak,
- A. K. Talluri,
- J. V. Tucci,
- N. Vazquez,
- D. A. Williams,
- S. L. Wong,
- J. Woo,
- VERITAS Collaboration,
- D. DeBoer,
- H. Isaacson,
- I. de Pater,
- D. C. Price,
- A. Siemion
Affiliations
- A. Acharyya
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
- C. B. Adams
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, Columbia University , New York, NY 10027, USA
- A. Archer
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, DePauw University , Greencastle, IN 46135-0037, USA
- P. Bangale
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA ; [email protected]
- P. Batista
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- W. Benbow
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- A. Brill
- ORCiD
- N.A.S.A./Goddard Space-Flight Center , Code 661, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- M. Capasso
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College, Columbia University , NY 10027, USA
- M. Errando
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Washington University , St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
- A. Falcone
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Q. Feng
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- J. P. Finley
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University , West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- G. M. Foote
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA ; [email protected]
- L. Fortson
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- A. Furniss
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, California State University—East Bay , Hayward, CA 94542, USA
- S. Griffin
- WIPAC and Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, WI 53703, USA
- W. Hanlon
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- D. Hanna
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- O. Hervet
- ORCiD
- Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and Department of Physics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- C. E. Hinrichs
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College , 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755 USA
- J. Hoang
- Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and Department of Physics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- J. Holder
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA ; [email protected]
- T. B. Humensky
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland , College Park, MD, USA; NASA GSFC , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- W. Jin
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
- P. Kaaret
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa , Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- M. Kertzman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, DePauw University , Greencastle, IN 46135-0037, USA
- M. Kherlakian
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- D. Kieda
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- T. K. Kleiner
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- N. Korzoun
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA ; [email protected]
- S. Kumar
- ORCiD
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Galway , University Road, Galway, H91 TK33, Ireland
- M. J. Lang
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University College Dublin , Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- M. Lundy
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- G. Maier
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- C. E. McGrath
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ball State University , Muncie, IN 47306, USA
- M. J. Millard
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa , Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- H. R. Miller
- Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and Department of Physics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- J. Millis
- Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute , 64 Bader Lane, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
- C. L. Mooney
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware , Newark, DE 19716, USA ; [email protected]
- P. Moriarty
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University College Dublin , Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- R. Mukherjee
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College, Columbia University , NY 10027, USA
- S. O’Brien
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- R. A. Ong
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- M. Pohl
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany; Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam , D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- E. Pueschel
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- J. Quinn
- ORCiD
- School of Physics, University College Dublin , Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- K. Ragan
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- P. T. Reynolds
- Department of Physical Sciences, Munster Technological University , Bishopstown, Cork, T12 P928, Ireland
- D. Ribeiro
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- E. Roache
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- J. L. Ryan
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- I. Sadeh
- ORCiD
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- L. Saha
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- M. Santander
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
- G. H. Sembroski
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University , West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- R. Shang
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College, Columbia University , NY 10027, USA
- D. Tak
- DESY , Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- A. K. Talluri
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- J. V. Tucci
- Department of Physics, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis , Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- N. Vazquez
- Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and Department of Physics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- D. A. Williams
- ORCiD
- Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and Department of Physics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- S. L. Wong
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, McGill University , Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- J. Woo
- ORCiD
- Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , New York, NY 10027, USA
- VERITAS Collaboration
- D. DeBoer
- ORCiD
- Breakthrough Listen, University of California Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- H. Isaacson
- ORCiD
- Breakthrough Listen, University of California Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; University of Southern Queensland , Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
- I. de Pater
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of California Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- D. C. Price
- ORCiD
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University , Kent Street, Bentley WA 6102, Australia; Radio Astronomy Laboratory, 501 Campbell Hall, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- A. Siemion
- ORCiD
- Breakthrough Listen, University of California Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; SETI Institute , Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester , UK; University of Malta , Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy, Msida, MSD2080, Malta
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ace347
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 166,
no. 3
p. 84
Abstract
The Breakthrough Listen Initiative is conducting a program using multiple telescopes around the world to search for “technosignatures”: artificial transmitters of extraterrestrial origin from beyond our solar system. The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) Collaboration joined this program in 2018 and provides the capability to search for one particular technosignature: optical pulses of a few nanoseconds in duration detectable over interstellar distances. We report here on the analysis and results of dedicated VERITAS observations of Breakthrough Listen targets conducted in 2019 and 2020 and of archival VERITAS data collected since 2012. Thirty hours of dedicated observations of 136 targets and 249 archival observations of 140 targets were analyzed and did not reveal any signals consistent with a technosignature. The results are used to place limits on the fraction of stars hosting transmitting civilizations. We also discuss the minimum pulse sensitivity of our observations and present VERITAS observations of CALIOP: a space-based pulsed laser on board the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations. The detection of these pulses with VERITAS, using the analysis techniques developed for our technosignature search, allows a test of our analysis efficiency and serves as an important proof of principle.
Keywords
