Scientists propose a new way to search for advanced civilizations: detecting energy signatures of structures around black holes, which may be visible up to 17,000 light-years away
Of all the unsolved questions in modern science, perhaps the most talked about is are we alone in the universe? A new paper suggests another way in which advanced civilizations can be traced, and the central principle of which is the need for energy. The more advanced a civilization is, the greater its need for energy, and one of the most efficient ways, according to current theories, is to harness the energy from an active black hole. The article suggests that a civilization that feeds a black hole in matter could harvest energy from it, and this process may even be detectable up to 17,000 light years away.
A new approach: searching for energy signatures
The search for extraterrestrial intelligent life has occupied scientists, philosophers and artists for centuries. With hundreds of millions of stars in our galaxy and billions of galaxies in the universe, the odds seem to be in our favor in finding other civilizations.
The discovery of thousands of planets outside the solar system in recent decades increases the excitement. As a result, researchers direct radioactive telescopes and spacecraft to search for aliens. Projects like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scan the skies for unusual patterns or messages that might reveal an advanced civilization. But so far, without significant success.
A different approach is to search for advanced civilizations based on energy signatures. This new concept seeks to identify artificial patterns in the electromagnetic spectrum. As humanity has progressed, its demand for energy has increased significantly, so it is likely that more advanced civilizations will utilize energy on a much larger scale. Civilizations may be using megastructures such as Dyson Spheres to harness energy from stars, and their effect on starlight is detectable.
A black hole as a source of energy
In a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal, researchers led by Shante Gram raise the possibility that advanced civilizations could exploit primordial black holes as a source of energy. They propose observational techniques that can detect such structures using infrared and submillimeter signatures. They note that telescopes such as ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array) are well suited for such observations and can even detect signatures at a distance of about 5.4 kiloparsecs (about 17,000 light-years).
The research explores the possibility that advanced civilizations could utilize structures around black holes to collect energy and create detectable signatures. Future observations may provide additional evidence for these phenomena and help us better understand the nature of the universe and the potential for the existence of intelligent life.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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A question I asked chat gpt
In twin paradox, the traveling twin is younger when they are reunited.
But what's happening if the traveling twin is stationary relative to the cmbr? Let say they both started at a speed of factor gamma equals 10 relative to the cmbr and the traveling twin accelerated until he is stationary relative to the cmbr, travel for one year according to his clock, and then returns to his brother
The answer I received: Y
Let me think about this interesting variant of the twin paradox step by step.
1) Initial conditions:
– Both twins start moving at γ=10 relative to the CMB rest frame
– The "traveling" twin decelerates to become stationary relative to CMB
- Stays there for 1 proper year
- Then accelerates back to rejoin their twin
2) Key points to consider:
– The "stationary" twin maintains γ=10 relative to CMB throughout
– The "traveling" twin experiences proper time during acceleration phases
- Special relativity tells us that proper time is maximum in the frame where an object is at rest
3) Analysis:
– During the travel period in CMB frame:
* "Stationary" twin's time dilation: Their 1 year dilates by γ=10
* "Traveling" twin experiences:
– Deceleration phase (some proper time)
- 1 year proper time while stationary in CMB frame
– Acceleration phase (some proper time)
4) Crucial insight:
The "stationary" twin is actually the one moving at high speed relative to the CMB frame. They experience more time dilation than their "traveling" sibling who spends most time in the CMB rest frame.
Therefore, in this scenario, the "traveling" twin who becomes stationary relative to the CMB would actually be OLDER when they reunite, not younger. This is because they spend significant time in a frame with less time dilation (the CMB rest frame), while their sibling remains in a highly time-dilated state throughout.
This is a fascinating inversion of the classic twin paradox result, showing how our choice of reference frame can dramatically affect the outcome. The key is that being at rest in the CMB frame minimizes time dilation, while moving at γ=10 relative to it causes significant time dilation.
According to the answer, the traveling twin will be old and his brother left behind will be younger when they meet after the trip
This is the answer I received from all the artificial intelligence apps in different detail, but with the same result.
But how can this be? The cosmic microwave background radiation was discovered many years after Einstein presented the twin paradox, and it is supposed to work even without it.
Miracles, where are you?
When considering the chance of finding aliens with very advanced technology, two things need to be remembered: A. Life, as we know it, probably cannot exist near the centers of galaxies and clusters due to radiation and collisions. It is enough to count the great extinctions on Earth, at least two of which are attributed to an external factor (444 million years ago, a gamma-ray burst, 66 million years ago, an asteroid impact). B. In order for life as we know it and technology (as we know it...) to be created, a quantity of elements is needed, some of which are created in novae and some in supernovae,
That means you need a lot of material originating from fourth or fifth generation stars – and therefore it would be very difficult to find "ancient" aliens with developed technology – assuming this is even possible.
If we drop a 250g glass of water on the floor, it will shatter and make a shattering noise equal to 2.5 joules of energy. Now, if we take the same glass and throw it into a black hole (in practical terms, this is not possible), the amount of energy released would be equivalent to 6-5 nuclear bombs exploding simultaneously…
The site has an article and a lecture about how the brain consumes a thousandth of the power compared to data centers (which need a nearby nuclear reactor..). Where does the axiom that developed civilizations need a lot of energy come from? Maybe they heat the boiler for hot water in the bath with dark energy? It's easier to imagine a biological energy engine than a Dyson ball.
Just forget, suns, planets, asteroids, comets are strongly attracted to black holes, and would destroy any structure built by aliens around a 'black hole' or any 'sun', this is an impractical fantasy