Fast Radio Bursts from Extragalactic Light Sails

TL;DR

This paper explores the hypothesis that Fast Radio Bursts could be artificial signals from extraterrestrial civilizations using large light sails, with parameters aligning with engineering constraints and observed frequencies.

Contribution

It proposes a novel artificial origin for FRBs, linking their properties to engineered light sail activities of extraterrestrial civilizations and deriving related physical parameters.

Findings

Beam parameters are consistent with large rocky planet-scale emitters.

Optimal powering frequencies match observed FRB frequencies.

Upper bounds on FRB occurrence rates from extraterrestrial civilizations are estimated.

Abstract

We examine the possibility that Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) originate from the activity of extragalactic civilizations. Our analysis shows that beams used for powering large light sails could yield parameters that are consistent with FRBs. The characteristic diameter of the beam emitter is estimated through a combination of energetic and engineering constraints, and both approaches intriguingly yield a similar result which is on the scale of a large rocky planet. Moreover, the optimal frequency for powering the light sail is shown to be similar to the detected FRB frequencies. These `coincidences' lend some credence to the possibility that FRBs might be artificial in origin. Other relevant quantities, such as the characteristic mass of the light sail, and the angular velocity of the beam, are also derived. By using the FRB occurrence rate, we infer upper bounds on the rate of FRBs from extragalactic civilizations in a typical galaxy. The possibility of detecting fainter signals is briefly discussed, and the wait time for an exceptionally bright FRB event in the Milky Way is estimated.