A team of scientists from Michigan Technological University has developed a new technique for detecting Dyson rings, megastructures designed to harness energy from stars. The research, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, focuses on pulsars – rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit intense beams of radiation.
Dyson rings are ring-shaped structures surrounding a star, capturing its energy and potentially revealing the existence of intelligent civilizations. While spheres are more feasible to construct, Dyson rings require less resources and could be a more likely choice for advanced civilizations.
The team’s new technique involves analyzing light curves from pulsars to detect features that may indicate the presence of a Dyson ring. These features arise from the interaction between the pulsar beam and the ring structure, which can produce multiple images of the pulsar spot on the ring simultaneously. This effect is similar to what occurs when dust rings are illuminated by pulsar radiation.
The proposed method could be used to search for Dyson rings around pulsars and potentially reveal signs of intelligent civilizations. The team’s research builds upon existing knowledge about energy usage and technological capabilities, using the Kardashev scale as a benchmark. According to this scale, civilizations with a certain level of power usage are classified into different types.
The detection of Dyson structures remains an intriguing possibility, especially considering our own civilization’s growing reliance on technology and increasing energy consumption. The proposed technique offers a promising approach for future research, providing insights into the potential presence of intelligent civilizations in the universe.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-technique-dyson-unveiled.html