Star Talk: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence using the MeerKAT and the Very Large Array Telescopes
Catch our upcoming Star Talk with post-doctoral researcher Dr. Cherry Ng!
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82145774799…
Passcode: startalk
Passcode: startalk
Abstract: “The search for technosignatures – remotely observable indicators of advanced extraterrestrial life – addresses one of the most profound questions in science: are we alone in the universe as intelligent life?” writes Dr. Ng. “The Breakthrough Listen program is leading the most concerted search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) effort to-date through radio and optical surveys of nearby stars, nearby galaxies and the Milky Way galactic plane, thus representing the best chance the human race has ever had to detect a technosignature.”
“Recently, Breakthrough Listen has partnered with the SETI Institute to develop commensal SETI search capabilities on some of the most sensitive radio inteferometers, including the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), the Very Large Array (VLA) and MeerKAT,” writes Dr. Ng. “Interferometric radio telescopes have the advantage of providing a larger field of view, maximizing the SETI survey speed. In this talk, we will present the latest updates on these surveys and conclude with a refreshed outlook on SETI search using next generation telescope facilities.”
Speaker biography: Dr. Cherry Ng is a post-doctoral researcher at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, where she researchers pulsars and Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs).
