Technosignature Searches with Real-time Alert Brokers
We present an exploration of technosignature research that is possible using real-time alert brokers from surveys such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Nine alert brokers currently stream up to one million alerts each night from ZTF, and...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astronomical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ade4bb |
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| author | Eleanor M. Gallay James R. A. Davenport Steve Croft |
| author_facet | Eleanor M. Gallay James R. A. Davenport Steve Croft |
| author_sort | Eleanor M. Gallay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present an exploration of technosignature research that is possible using real-time alert brokers from surveys such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Nine alert brokers currently stream up to one million alerts each night from ZTF, and LSST is projected to increase this volume by an order of magnitude. While these brokers are primarily designed to facilitate real-time follow-up of explosive transients such as supernovae, they offer a unique platform to discover rare forms of variability from nearby stars in real time, which is crucial for follow-up and characterization. We evaluate the capability for both spatial and temporal search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) methods using the currently available brokers, and present examples of technosignature searches using ZTF alert and archival data. We have deployed optical SETI techniques, such as planetary transit zone geometries and the SETI Ellipsoid. We have also developed a search for novel high-amplitude stellar dippers, and present a workflow that integrates features available directly through the brokers, as well as postprocessing steps that build on the existing capabilities. Though the SETI methods that alert brokers can execute are currently limited, we provide suggestions that may enhance future technosignature and anomaly searches in the era of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2bd57e07af034b71984d3555c189f304 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1538-3881 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astronomical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-2bd57e07af034b71984d3555c189f3042025-08-20T02:40:07ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812025-01-0117029510.3847/1538-3881/ade4bbTechnosignature Searches with Real-time Alert BrokersEleanor M. Gallay0https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8543-2258James R. A. Davenport1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0637-835XSteve Croft2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4823-129XSmith College , Northampton, MA 01063, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Washington , Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195, USABreakthrough Listen, University of Oxford , Department of Physics, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; University of California , Berkeley, 501 Campbell Hall #3411, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; SETI Institute , 339 Bernardo Ave., Suite 200, Mountain View, CA 94043, USAWe present an exploration of technosignature research that is possible using real-time alert brokers from surveys such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Nine alert brokers currently stream up to one million alerts each night from ZTF, and LSST is projected to increase this volume by an order of magnitude. While these brokers are primarily designed to facilitate real-time follow-up of explosive transients such as supernovae, they offer a unique platform to discover rare forms of variability from nearby stars in real time, which is crucial for follow-up and characterization. We evaluate the capability for both spatial and temporal search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) methods using the currently available brokers, and present examples of technosignature searches using ZTF alert and archival data. We have deployed optical SETI techniques, such as planetary transit zone geometries and the SETI Ellipsoid. We have also developed a search for novel high-amplitude stellar dippers, and present a workflow that integrates features available directly through the brokers, as well as postprocessing steps that build on the existing capabilities. Though the SETI methods that alert brokers can execute are currently limited, we provide suggestions that may enhance future technosignature and anomaly searches in the era of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ade4bbSky surveysVariable starsTechnosignatures |
| spellingShingle | Eleanor M. Gallay James R. A. Davenport Steve Croft Technosignature Searches with Real-time Alert Brokers The Astronomical Journal Sky surveys Variable stars Technosignatures |
| title | Technosignature Searches with Real-time Alert Brokers |
| title_full | Technosignature Searches with Real-time Alert Brokers |
| title_fullStr | Technosignature Searches with Real-time Alert Brokers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Technosignature Searches with Real-time Alert Brokers |
| title_short | Technosignature Searches with Real-time Alert Brokers |
| title_sort | technosignature searches with real time alert brokers |
| topic | Sky surveys Variable stars Technosignatures |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ade4bb |
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