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Dr. H. Paul Shuch Visiting Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Lycoming College

The SETI Transmission Debate. Dr. H. Paul Shuch Visiting Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Lycoming College Executive Director Emeritus, The SETI League, Inc. Fifty Years of Solitude. Why not transmit ?. Monument to the Martian Invasion of 30 Oct. 1938 Grover’s Mill NJ.

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Dr. H. Paul Shuch Visiting Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Lycoming College

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  1. The SETI Transmission Debate Dr. H. Paul Shuch Visiting Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Lycoming College Executive Director Emeritus, The SETI League, Inc.

  2. Fifty Years of Solitude

  3. Why not transmit ?

  4. Monument to the Martian Invasion of 30 Oct. 1938 Grover’s Mill NJ

  5. transmissions are not all created equal!

  6. SMI = I + C Ordinal Index Parametric Term Categorical Term

  7. "Our current electromagnetic leakage within narrow portions of the radio bands, outshines the Sun by a factor of million.” From SETI 2020: • "Even an uncorrected omnidirectional radio beacon could easiliy outshine the Sun by a factor of billion in its band …” • "Radio transmissions can routinely outshine the Sun with power levels that do not significantly add to the Earth`s energy expenditure.” • "Omnidirectional microwave transmitters can continuously outshine the Sun using megawatts of power and narrow bandwidths of approximately 1 Hz." • "In the microwave, a beacon must emit about 1 kW/Hz to outshine the Sun." • “…most SETI radio signals are likely to be much brighter than the adjacent star."

  8. I: intensity of the transmission I is the Common Logarithm of the Intensity Ratio (think: “Bels over Background”)

  9. http://iaaseti.org/SMI_I.xls

  10. C: character of the transmission C is a numerical value assigned to a Categorical Designator

  11. Integer • Ordinal • Categorical

  12. SMI as a Policy Tool: • Rather than forcing blanket policy decisions about whether or not to allow transmissions, each potential signal must be quantitatively analyzed, and judged on its own merit and risk. • At about SMI=3 and below, a transmission is of negligible impact (no regulation required). • At about SMI=8 and above, impact is significant (perhaps prohibitions are in order). • In between, evaluate on a case-by-case basis.

  13. http://iaaseti.org Click on ‘Protocols’ Follow the link to the ‘San Marino Scale’

  14. Emily Dickinson, circa 1884: We send the Wave to find the Wave — An Errand so divine, The Messenger enamored too, Forgetting to return, We make the wise distinction still, Soever made in vain, The sagest time to dam the sea Is when the sea is gone.

  15. CONTACT: Dr. H. Paul Shuch Executive Director Emeritus The SETI League, Inc. www.setileague.org paul@setileague.org

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