A near-infrared SETI experiment: commissioning, data analysis, and performance results

Jérôme Maire; Shelley A. Wright; Patrick Dorval; Frank D. Drake; Andres Duenas; Howard Isaacson; Geoffrey W. Marcy; Andrew Siemion; Remington P. S. Stone; Melisa Tallis; Richard R. Treffers; Dan Werthimer

doi:10.1117/12.2232861

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4 August 2016 A near-infrared SETI experiment: commissioning, data analysis, and performance results

Jérôme Maire; Shelley A. Wright; Patrick Dorval; Frank D. Drake; Andres Duenas; Howard Isaacson; Geoffrey W. Marcy; Andrew Siemion; Remington P. S. Stone; Melisa Tallis; Richard R. Treffers; Dan Werthimer

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Proceedings Volume 9908, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI; 990810 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232861
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

Over the last two decades, Optical Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence experiments have been conducted to search for either continuous or pulsed visible-light laser beacons that could be used for interstellar communication or energy transmission. Near-infrared offers a compelling window for signal transmission since there is a decrease in interstellar extinction and Galactic background compared to optical wavelengths. An innovative Near-InfraRed and Optical SETI (NIROSETI) instrument has been designed and constructed to take advantage of a new generation of fast (> 1 Ghz) low-noise near-infrared avalanche photodiodes to search for nanosecond pulsed near-infrared (850 - 1650 nm) pulses. The instrument was successfully installed and commissioned at the Nickel (1m) telescope at Lick Observatory in March 2015. We will describe the overall design of the instrument with a focus on methods developed for data acquisition and reduction for near-infrared SETI. Time and height analyses of the pulses produced by the detectors are performed to search for periodicity and coincidences in the signals. We will further discuss our NIROSETI survey plans.

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Jérôme Maire, Shelley A. Wright, Patrick Dorval, Frank D. Drake, Andres Duenas, Howard Isaacson, Geoffrey W. Marcy, Andrew Siemion, Remington P. S. Stone, Melisa Tallis, Richard R. Treffers, and Dan Werthimer "A near-infrared SETI experiment: commissioning, data analysis, and performance results", Proc. SPIE 9908, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI, 990810 (4 August 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232861

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