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arXiv 1306.1672astro-ph.EP
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利用系外行星Transit曲线探测A类恒星发动机的可能性

On the Possibility of Detecting Class A Stellar Engines Using Exoplanet Transit Curves

Duncan H. Forgan

摘要:

A类恒星发动机(也称为什卡多夫推进器)是一个球面弧形镜,旨在利用恒星辐射压力的脉冲产生推力,干扰恒星的运动。如果这面镜子在系外行星过境期间阻挡了恒星盘的一部分,那么这可以通过研究过境光变曲线的形状来检测,这是另一种潜在的手段,可以通过它来辨别外星智慧(ETI)的行动。我们的模型所产生的光变曲线的系外行星过境一颗拥有Shkadov推进器的恒星,并显示如何行星的参数和推进器的属性可以解开。前提是径向速度的后续测量是可能的,并且其他典型的系外行星过境曲线的模糊现象(如星点或内在恒星噪声的存在)不占主导地位。撇开这些困难不谈,我们估计在系外行星过境期间探测到Shkadov推进器的先验概率,即使给出乐观的假设,这一概率仍然很低。尽管如此,许多为径向速度跟踪设计的系外行星凌日调查正在进行中,因此我们认为这仍然是一种有用的偶然SETI技术。在最坏的情况下,这项技术将对太阳附近的A类恒星发动机的数量设置上限;在最好的情况下,这可以帮助识别不寻常的凌日系外行星系统,作为其他SETI方法进一步调查的候选者。

英文摘要:

The Class A stellar engine (also known as a Shkadov thruster) is a spherical arc mirror, designed to use the impulse from a star's radiation pressure to generate a thrust force, perturbing the star's motion. If this mirror obstructs part of the stellar disc during the transit of an exoplanet, then this may be detected by studying the shape of the transit light curve, presenting another potential means by which the action of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) can be discerned. We model the light curves produced by exoplanets transiting a star which possesses a Shkadov thruster, and show how the parameters of the planet and the properties of the thruster can be disentangled. provided that radial velocity follow-up measurements are possible, and that other obscuring phenomena typical to exoplanet transit curves (such as the presence of starspots or intrinsic stellar noise) do not dominate. These difficulties aside, we estimate the a priori probability of detecting a Shkadov thruster during an exoplanet transit, which even given optimistic assumptions remains stubbornly low. Despite this, many exoplanet transit surveys designed for radial velocity follow-up are on the horizon, so we argue that this remains a useful serendipitous SETI technique. At worst, this technique will place an upper limit on the number of Class A stellar engines in the Solar neighbourhood; at best, this could help identify unusual transiting exoplanet systems as candidates for further investigation with other SETI methods.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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