Softpedia
 

NEWS CATEGORIES:



NEWS ARCHIVE >>
SOFTPEDIA REVIEWS >>
MEET THE EDITORS >>
Home > News > Science > Space

January 11th, 2011, 14:24 GMT · By

Talking to Aliens Possible via Neutrinos

SHARE:

Adjust text size:


Neutrinos could be our ticket to establishing contact with alien civilizations
Enlarge picture
In a new scientific study, experts propose that we attempt to use neutrinos in our quests to establish contact with potential extraterrestrial civilizations that may exist elsewhere in the Universe.

Until now, all messages that we sent into space were delivered via radio waves. We were accustomed to using this type of beams here on Earth, where signals are passed under this form all day long.

But even the strongest radio signal could lose itself in space, drowned in the myriad of other radio signals. These types of beams are produced by black holes, supernovae, the active cores of galaxies and a myriad of other sources.

If a beam that we sent from Earth passes by a cosmic object that is also a radio source, then the data it contains may be lost on any potential listener, experts say.

This is why radio waves need to be replaced with high-energy neutrinos, particle physicists say. These elementary particles are produced in a very small number of places in the Universe.

The idea was proposed by experts with the Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics, at the University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB), who were led by expert Anthony Zee, Daily Galaxy reports.

Scientists such as Zee believe that neutrino energies are the ones that stand up easier from a sea of background noises. These particles are emitted from so few locations, that if a highly-concentrated beam of the stuff passes by our planet, then it would undoubtedly raise questions.

If an alien civilization attempts to contact us using radio waves, then those signals may very well pass by our ears, regardless of the expensive telescopes set up to pick them up.

Zee explains that, if an alien race wants to use neutrinos for communications, then all it needs to do is use a particle accelerator to smash electrons and positrons together. Neutrinos are produced from such reactions.

A large amount of W bosons would also result from the collisions, further helping identify the neutrino beams as being of extraterrestrial, rather than natural, origin.

Until neutrino technology is researched here on Earth too, experts will continue to use radio telescope to scan the skies for signals that may come from other races.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK:

766 hits · 1 comment · Link to this article · Print article · Send to friend · Subscribe to news

MUST-READ RELATED ARTICLES:


Dark Matter Could Cool Down the Sun's Core

Moon Is Now Part of Neutrino Telescope System

Subatomic 'Signature' Found Permeating the Universe

Massive IceCube Neutrino Observatory Completed

Finding Nuclear Reactors with Antineutrino Detectors

READER COMMENTS:


Comment #1 by: enden on 12 Jan 2011, 04:32 UTC reply to this comment

fool thinking to have contact with somebody out there in other worlds.
here on earth its dangerous to trust anyone who is stranger,
how much more if it is not human?
better to do is to fine them while hide we ourselves
if we see them we study them.

Copyright © 2001-2012 Softpedia. Contact/Tip us at

WindowsGamesDriversMacLinuxScriptsMobileHandheldNews

SUBMIT PROGRAM   |   ADVERTISE   |   GET HELP   |   SEND US FEEDBACK   |   RSS FEEDS   |   UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE   |   ROMANIAN FORUM