Gravitational Microlensing Events as a Target for SETI project

TL;DR

This paper proposes utilizing gravitational microlensing events as natural telescopes to amplify potential signals from extraterrestrial civilizations, enhancing the chances of detection with radio telescopes like SKA.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of using gravitational microlensing systems to detect ETI signals and suggests follow-up radio observations during these events, especially in binary systems.

Findings

Binary microlensing systems have higher amplification probabilities.

Potential to detect ETI signals up to the center of the Milky Way.

Estimated detection rate of about one event per year.

Abstract

Detection of signals from a possible extrasolar technological civilization is one of the challenging efforts of science. In this work, we propose using natural telescopes made of single or binary gravitational lensing systems to magnify leakage of electromagnetic signals from a remote planet harbours an Extra Terrestrial Intelligent (ETI) technology. The gravitational microlensing surveys are monitoring a large area of Galactic bulge for searching microlensing events and they find more than $2000$ events per year. These lenses are capable of playing the role of natural telescopes and in some occasions they can magnify radio band signals from the planets orbiting around the source stars in gravitational microlensing systems. Assuming that frequency of electromagnetic waves used for telecommunication in ETIs is similar to ours, we propose follow-up observation of microlensing events with radio telescopes such as Square Kilometre Array (SKA), Low Frequency Demonstrators (LFD) and Mileura Wide-Field Array (MWA). Amplifying signals from the leakage of broadcasting by an Earth-like civilizations will allow us to detect them up to center of Milky Way galaxy. Our analysis shows that in binary microlensing systems, the probability of amplification of signals from ETIs is more than that in single microlensing events. Finally we propose target of opportunity mode for follow-up observations of binary microlensing events with SKA as a new observational program for searching ETIs. Using the optimistic values for the factors of Drake equation provides detection of about one event per year.