Galactic Neutrino Communication

Authors: John G. Learned, Sandip Pakvasa, A. Zee

(Submitted on 16 May 2008)

Abstract: We examine the possibility to employ neutrinos to communicate within the galaxy. We discuss various issues associated with transmission and reception, and suggest that the resonant neutrino energy near 6.3 PeV may be most appropriate. In one scheme we propose to make Z^o particles in an overtaking e^+ - e^- collider such that the resulting decay neutrinos are near the W^- resonance on electrons in the laboratory. Information is encoded via time structure of the beam. In another scheme we propose to use a 30 PeV pion accelerator to create neutrino or anti-neutrino beams. The latter encodes information via the particle/anti-particle content of the beam, as well as timing. Moreover, the latter beam requires far less power, and can be accomplished with presently foreseeable technology. Such signals from an advanced civilization, should they exist, will be eminently detectable in neutrino detectors now under construction.

Comments: 6 pages, 2 figures

Subjects: Popular Physics (physics.pop-ph); Astrophysics (astro-ph); High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex); High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)

Report number: UH-511-1127-08

Cite as: arXiv:0805.2429v1 [physics.pop-ph]

Submission history

From: Sandip Pakvasa [view email]

[v1] Fri, 16 May 2008 01:32:47 GMT (85kb)

http://arxiv.org/abs/0805.2429

This example has been used a lot in SETI discussions, but the above paper
does make me think that we are doing the equivalent of a primitive tribe
looking for smoke signals and listening for drum beats while everyone else is
on the Internet.