From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Sun Aug 24 2003 - 16:48:16 MDT
On Sun, 24 Aug 2003, Robin Hanson quoting me wrote:
> >The 24, 70 and 160 micron wavebands correspond to temperatures
> >of 121K, 41K and 18K respectively. Certainly quite interesting
> >temperatures for moderately advanced MBrains (human body temperature
> >is 311K).
>
> Care to offer any probability estimates of the chances of seeing
> certain things by certain dates?
The survey is supposed to take a while (9 months) [1].
The resolution of the colder frequencies is *very* limited
(128x128, 32x32, 2x20) in the MIPS instrument [2].
As I think I pointed out in one or more papers, our current
IR detection capabilities pretty much "suck". That will
probably not change until we get detectors based on bolometers [3].
But since the SWIRE survey [4] is supposed to be looking outside
the galaxy some interesting results might be produced. As Milan
Cirkovic is the one who has proposed that advanced civilizations
such as MBrains may need to migrate outside of galaxies for the
greatest efficiencies (something Amara has provided some supportive
information for) then I may be proposing to him that one may want
to study the SWIRE data for signs of MBrains that have exited
stage left. Whether or not the survey has the resolution to determine
this I do not know. A very cold, outside of the galaxy, MBrain may be a
very difficult object to detect using current technology. (As may
an inside-out MBrain dumping waste entropy into a black hole.)
Of interest to me will be whether an "accident" happens. A very
unusual "accident" took place with the previous WIRE mission which
was supposed to do a complete IR survey. So one working hypothesis
is whether or not missions may be "sabotaged" to prevent an increase
in our IR radiation knowledge. Not highly probable I will grant,
but something to think about.
Robert
1. http://www.spacedaily.com/news/telescopes-03y.html
2. http://sirtf.caltech.edu/SSC/obs/overview.html
3. http://www.aeiveos.com/~bradbury/Astronomy/infrared.html#MicrobolometerResearchGroups
4. http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/SWIRE/
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