Exoplanets and SETI

The discovery of exoplanets has both focused and expanded the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The consideration of Earth as an exoplanet, the knowledge of the orbital parameters of individual exoplanets, and our new understanding of the prevalence of exoplanets throughout the galaxy have all altered the search strategies of communication SETI efforts, by inspiring new “Schelling points” (i.e. optimal search strategies for beacons).

Future efforts to characterize individual planets photometrically and spectroscopically, with imaging and via transit, will also allow for searches for a variety of technosignatures on their surfaces, in their atmospheres, and in orbit around them. Even in the near-term, searches for new planetary systems might even turn up free-floating megastructures.

Jason T. Wright
(Submitted on 7 Jul 2017)

Comments: 9 page invited review
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:1707.02175 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:1707.02175v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Jason Wright
[v1] Fri, 7 Jul 2017 13:55:03 GMT (13kb,D)
https://arxiv.org/abs/1707.02175
Astrobiology