Terrestrial Microwave Window

Laser SETI is an instrument that could continuously survey the entire night sky for brief laser pulses. The instrument can look everywhere simultaneously.  The technology, which consists of a robust assembly of straightforward optical and mechanical components, has been prototyped and subjected to preliminary tests.[1]

It will observe all of the sky, all of the time so even relatively rare events can be found. Laser SETI can discover pulses over a wide range of pulse durations, and is especially sensitive to millisecond singleton pulses which may have been overlooked in previous astronomical surveys.[2]

As of October 2017, the team had spent close to $50k thus far, have 21 components in hand, 5 on order or in transit, 3 ready to order, and 7 waiting on test results or TBD.[3]

In 2018, the SETI Institute announced that they were going to be able to deploy 8 cameras instead of four, meaning that they can fully monitor two independent fields-of-view.[4]

In 2019, the entity announced that the final logistics were being worked out for the placement of LaserSETI's first observatory at RFO's (Robert Ferguson Observatory) idyllic facility, in Sonoma County.[5]

In summer 2021 a second LaserSETI observatory was being installed in Hawaii, and was operational by Dec 2021.[6] Two of four cameras are fully functional. Cameras are installed in pairs with their diffraction gratings at 90 degrees to each other. Images are read out more than a thousand times a second.[6]

References

  1. ↑ SETI Institute (July 17, 2017). "Why We Need a New Type of SETI Instrument".
  2. ↑ David, Leonard (August 7, 2017). "New 'Laser SETI' Approach Seeks Crowdfunding to Seek Out Alien Life". Space.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  3. ↑ Gilster, Paul (August 14, 2017). "Laser SETI in Context". Centauri Dreams. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  4. ↑ Overton, Gail (July 31, 2017). "Laser SETI will look for signals that radio and optical telescopes cannot see". Laser Focus World. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  5. ↑ Friday, Alison Klesman (July 2017). "Now is your chance to fund a groundbreaking SETI project". Astronomy.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. 1 2 "LaserSETI Installs 2nd Observatory at Haleakala Observatory".
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