January eight, 2024, Mountain View, CA — In a groundbreaking cosmic search, the SETI Institute’s Karl G. Jansky Very Massive Array (VLA) Open Supply Multimode Interferometer Cluster (COSMIC) is increasing the seek for extraterrestrial intelligence ( SETI ) . This cutting-edge know-how just isn’t a separate telescope; is a detector. COSMIC searches for extraterrestrial alerts and paves the best way for future science utilizing a duplicate of the uncooked knowledge from the telescope’s observations. On the coronary heart of the COSMIC mission is the pursuit of the age-old query: are we alone within the universe? Undertaking scientist Dr. Chenoa Tremblay and staff detailed the undertaking in a paper revealed in The Astronomical Journal.
What units COSMIC aside is its adaptability to the longer term. The system is designed for future upgrades, guaranteeing it stays on the forefront of area exploration. With the potential to broaden its capabilities, COSMIC may quickly cowl extra stars, discover new frequencies, and enhance our understanding of the huge cosmic tapestry. It is very important word that COSMIC’s capabilities transcend the seek for extraterrestrial intelligence. Future upgrades may unlock new explorations, from discovering quick radio bursts with submillisecond temporal decision to finding out the science of spectral traces and axionic darkish matter.
“COSMIC introduces fashionable Ethernet-based digital structure on the VLA, enabling a testbed for future applied sciences as we transfer into the next-generation period,” stated Tremblay. “At present, the main focus is on creating one of many largest surveys for technological alerts, with over 500,000 sources noticed within the first six months. Nonetheless, the pliability of the design permits for a variety of different scientific alternatives, such because the examine of quick radio. exploding pulse constructions and looking for axionic darkish matter candidates. We hope to open alternatives for different scientists to make use of our excessive time (nanosecond) or excessive spectral decision (sub-Hz) to finish their analysis. It is an thrilling time to develop the capabilities of this historic telescope.”
COSMIC stands on the shoulders of giants just like the Phoenix Undertaking, with the power to look thousands and thousands of stars and the potential to broaden to tens of thousands and thousands—a leap in scope and sensitivity. At present operational on the VLA, COSMIC is looking utilizing observations from the Very Massive Array Sky Survey (VLASS), which is able to map 80 % of the sky in three phases over two years and catalog about 10 million radio sources.
The Ethernet-based COSMIC system provides a brand new aspect of collaboration to the cosmos. Multicasting know-how permits different commensal programs to entry COSMIC’s processing energy, enabling the event of a collaborative science ecosystem. Think about a number of telescopes working collectively to unravel the deepest mysteries of the universe.
“The COSMIC system tremendously enhances the scientific capabilities of the VLA. Its main objective of detecting alien technosignatures addresses one of the profound scientific questions ever. This topic was not beforehand doable with the VLA,” stated Dr. Paul Demorest, Nationwide Radio Astronomy Observatory. “Working in parallel with tasks just like the VLA Sky Survey, COSMIC will carry out one of many largest SETI surveys ever, whereas permitting the VLA to hold out its common program of different astronomical surveys.”
As we embark on this cosmic journey with COSMIC, the chances are as huge because the universe. Whether or not looking for alerts from distant civilizations or unraveling the mysteries of darkish matter, COSMIC is not only a detector on a telescope; it’s a cosmic companion in our quest for information.
COSMIC is supported by NRAO and Breakthrough Pay attention.
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