Universität Wien

280509 SE Consolidation module: Topics on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (PI) (2015W)

Continuous assessment of course work

Over the last to decades astronomers came to realize that the Solar system is not the exception but the rule, and even more remarkably, that Earth-like planets must be abundant in the Milky Way. The Seminar will address the scientific efforts to address the old question "Are we alone?". It will start with the seminal Cocconi & Morrison 1959 (Nature 184, 844 “Searching for Interstellar Communications”) together with Schwartz & Townes, 1961 (Nature, 190, 205) and it will end with Tarter et al. 2007 (Astrobiology, 7, 30 “A Reappraisal of The Habitability of Planets around M Dwarf Stars").

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes

The course will take place in SE2 on Tuesdays at 14:00


Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The main aim of the Seminar consists in introducing to the students a new exciting topic, ever more exciting by the recent discoveries of extra-solar Earth-like planets. The method consists in the critical reading of all the major papers in this very young field of research, with an eye for the logical constructions that can be made when so little data is available. The language of instruction will be English.

Assessment and permitted materials

Assessment will be based not only on the student presentation but also also participation in the weekly discussions following paper presentation.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics

Reading list

Cocconi & Morrison 1959 Nature184, 844 “Searching for Interstellar Communications” + Schwartz & Townes, 1961, Nature, 190, 205 “Interstellar and Interplanetary Communication by Optical Masers”
Dyson 1960, Science 131, 1667, “Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation” + Sagan & Walker 1966, ApJ 144, 1216 “The Infrared Detectability of Dyson Civilizations"
Kardashev, N. S. 1964, Soviet Astronomy, Vol. 8, p.217 “Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations.”
Hart 1975, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 16, p.128 “Explanation for the Absence of Extraterrestrials on Earth”
Brin, G. 1983, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 24, NO.3, P.283 “The Great Silence - the Controversy Concerning Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life"
Livio 1999, ApJ 511, 1, 429 “How Rare Are Extraterrestrial Civilizations, and When Did They Emerge?”
Howard et al. 2004, ApJ, 613, 1270 “Search for Nanosecond Optical Pulses from Nearby Solar-Type Stars"
Tarter 2001, ARAA, 39, 511 “The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)” (Review)
Turnbull & Tarter 2003, ApJSS, 145, 181 “Target Selection for SETI. I. A Catalog of Nearby Habitable Stellar Systems"
Tarter et al. 2007. Astrobiology, 7, 30 “A Reappraisal of The Habitability of Planets around M Dwarf Stars"

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:42