Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution as a Signature of Extraterrestrial Technology

TL;DR

This study assesses the potential of detecting nitrogen dioxide, a possible technosignature of extraterrestrial industrial activity, on exoplanets using photochemical models and spectral analysis, considering various star types and observational challenges.

Contribution

It introduces a method to evaluate NO$_2$ as an atmospheric technosignature on exoplanets around different star types, including detection feasibility with future telescopes.

Findings

NO$_2$ levels are higher around cooler stars due to less photolysis.

Earth-level NO$_2$ detection is feasible around Sun-like stars at 10pc with current technology.

Clouds and aerosols can significantly hinder NO$_2$ detectability.

Abstract

Nitrogen dioxide (NO$_2$) on Earth today has biogenic and anthropogenic sources. During the COVID-19 pandemic, observations of global NO$_2$ emissions have shown significant decrease in urban areas. Drawing upon this example of NO$_2$ as an industrial byproduct, we use a one-dimensional photochemical model and synthetic spectral generator to assess the detectability of NO$_2$ as an atmospheric technosignature on exoplanets. We consider cases of an Earth-like planet around Sun-like, K-dwarf and M-dwarf stars. We find that NO$_2$ concentrations increase on planets around cooler stars due to less short-wavelength photons that can photolyze NO$_2$. In cloud-free results, present Earth-level NO$_2$ on an Earth-like planet around a Sun-like star at 10pc can be detected with SNR ~5 within ~400 hours with a 15 meter LUVOIR-like telescope when observed in the 0.2 - 0.7micron range where NO$_2$ has a strong absorption. However, clouds and aerosols can reduce the detectability and could mimic the NO$_2$ feature. Historically, global NO$_2$ levels were 3x higher, indicating the capability of detecting a 40-year old Earth-level civilization. Transit and direct imaging observations to detect infrared spectral signatures of NO$_2$ on habitable planets around M-dwarfs would need several 100s of hours of observation time, both due to weaker NO$_2$ absorption in this region, and also because of masking features by dominant H$_2$O and CO$_2$ bands in the infrared part of the spectrum. Non-detection at these levels could be used to place upper limits on the prevalence of NO$_2$ as a technosignature.