Are Cosmic Light Flashes Powering Alien Spacecraft?

Flashes of cosmic light (fast radio bursts) seen by scientists could be an alien, solar powered transmitter used to accelerate interstellar spacecraft.

The duo calculated that a solar-powered transmitter could indeed beam FRB-like signals across the cosmos — but it would require a sunlight-collecting area twice the size of Earth to generate the necessary power.

Why would aliens build such a structure? The most plausible explanation, according to the study team, is to blast interstellar spacecraft to incredible speeds. These craft would be equipped with light sails, which harness the momentum imparted by photons, much as regular ships' sails harness the wind.

www.space.com...

In April 2016, a $100 million project called Breakthrough Starshot was launched, aimed at sending a small light-propelled robotic spacecraft towards the Alpha Centauri. Could an advanced alien race have already perfected this technology?

"With light beams, light sails and the lightest spacecraft ever built, we can launch a mission to Alpha Centauri within a generation,"

The Starshot spacecraft will consist of a wafer-size chip attached to a super-thin sail. This paired duo will be launched to space aboard a mothership, and then propelled to the stars by laser light beamed from a high-altitude facility here on Earth.

www.space.com...



Scientists studying FRB's (fast radio bursts) have concluded that these "cosmic flashes" are consistent and within parameters of a light beam used to power Extragalactic Light Sails.

Our analysis shows that beams used for powering large light sails could yield parameters that are consistent with FRBs.

Moreover, the optimal frequency for powering the light sail is shown to be similar to the detected FRB frequencies.

arxiv.org...

Scientists caution that this is just a plausible theory, but considering that we humans are at the brink of using this technology, it might be a very accurate hypothesis.

Assuming that ET is responsible for most FRBs, and taking into account the estimated number of potentially habitable planets in the Milky Way (about 10 billion), Lingam and Loeb calculated an upper limit for the number of advanced alien civilizations in a galaxy like our own: 10,000.

www.space.com...

For efficacy, lightsail technology would involve laser light. Are FRBs coherent light? Seems someone would have noticed.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

I dunno, the concept of sailing in a vacuum seems contradicting.

I would think that traveling lightyears from distant galaxies would require something more sophisticated than radio wind in your sails.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

I would think that traveling lightyears from distant galaxies would require something more sophisticated than radio wind in your sails.

Nothing was mentioned about intergalactic travel. The concept is quite valid for interstellar travel. With lasers. Never read The Mote In God's Eye?

a reply to: Phage

Good point Phage. I've read conflicting information on this subject. Scientists point out that FRB's are extremely powerful radio bursts and then in the same sentence, refer to them as "flickers of light". Which is it? No mention about laser light. Perfect example:

FRB stands for "fast radio burst." These flickers of light were just discovered in 2007, and although they last for just a fraction of a second, they release more energy than our entire sun will radiate in 10,000 years. Eighteen FRBs have been detected, but scientists estimate that one of these bursts occurs somewhere in the sky about once every 10 seconds.

www.space.com...

a reply to: shawmanfromny

Light and radio are pretty much the same thing, for all intents and purposes. Electromagnetic radiation.
Light has much smaller wavelengths though, so packs more energy.

Both light (as the term is commonly used) and radio can be made to perform the trick of coherency. With light it's call laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) with radio it's call maser (for microwave). Coherency packs the energy of either into a tighter package.

a reply to: Phage

Light sails? Talk about one giant mofo ocean! Even in the future, we're still primitive. :p

originally posted by: Phage
For efficacy, lightsail technology would involve laser light. Are FRBs coherent light? Seems someone would have noticed.

They are highly dispersed coherent radio bursts. So they are assuming multi-bounce laser-based sails.

Personally, I don't buy their argumentation. If I understand it correctly all of the observed FRBs are extragalactic and the energies involved are ridiculous. Imho it is probably some not yet known natural mechanism.

A quick search on arXiv shows a bunch a papers discussing a possible mechanism, including things like asteroid impact on a pulsar and pulsar lightning.

With all the rocks and dust floating around in space, it's going to be a short sailing trip, they can't steer around debris.

Scientists estimate that one of these bursts occurs somewhere in the sky about once every 10 seconds.
I hate nose wind and it breaks my speed effectively.

Could those bursts be red-shifted laser-beams?
Long distance, universe drifting apart, red shift rising, etc.

What if the "flashes" are something coming through a nearby white hole (wormhole)? Just a thought. Feel free to knock it.

The sails theory is really interesting though, and very clever. I've always wondered about the FRB's origin, and originally thought "weird natural phenomena" which in a way my dumb wormhole theory is still "natural phenomena"

a reply to: shawmanfromny Ghouls and Gozzila could be in that manner managed to arrived here. Just made me thinking. And what about light propelled zombies from out of space? Now I well have nightmares, brrrh...

Alien spaceships are powered by amplified consciousness somehow connected with the living ship itself.

How that works, I have no idea. We don't have a good paradigm for it.

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Alien spaceships are powered by amplified consciousness somehow connected with the living ship itself.

I'm curious about the origin of this meme, any ideas? Thanks.

That sounds like it could work, makes sense traveling the speed of light using light as a wind.