[Paper Review] NU-SETI: A Proposal to Detect Extra-Terrestrial Signals Carried by Neutrinos

Ephraim Fischbach, J. T. Gruenwald|arXiv (Cornell University)|Feb 10, 2017

Radioactive Decay and Measurement Techniques2 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes NU-SETI, a network of radioactive decay detectors to search for pulsed extraterrestrial signals carried by neutrinos or antineutrinos, based on observed correlations between solar activity, neutrino flux variations, and anomalies in radioactive decay rates. The key contribution is a novel SETI approach leveraging neutrino-mediated signals as a potential interstellar communication channel.

ABSTRACT

Recent observations of changes in radioactive decay rates associated with the annual variation of the Earth-Sun distance, with solar rotation, and particularly with solar storms, suggest that radioactive decay rates may be responding to small changes in ambient neutrino/antineutrino flux. We propose to build a network of detectors (NU-SETI), based on monitoring radioactive decays, to search for pulsed signals from an extra-terrestrial source carried by neutrinos or antineutrinos.

Motivation & Objective

• To investigate the hypothesis that radioactive decay rates may be modulated by variations in ambient neutrino/antineutrino flux.
• To address the longstanding challenge in SETI of detecting non-electromagnetic signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.
• To propose a new detection strategy based on neutrino-induced anomalies in decay rates, offering a potential alternative to radio-based SETI.
• To establish a global network of decay-rate monitoring detectors to increase sensitivity to pulsed neutrino signals.
• To explore the feasibility of using neutrinos as carriers of intentional interstellar messages, given their high penetration and low interaction cross-section.

Proposed method

• Utilize existing or newly deployed high-precision radioactive decay detectors to monitor real-time decay rate fluctuations.
• Focus on isotopes showing anomalous decay rate variations correlated with solar activity and Earth-Sun distance changes.
• Implement a distributed network of detectors to enable triangulation and reduce false positives from terrestrial or solar noise.
• Apply statistical analysis to detect periodic or pulsed signals in decay rate data that could indicate intentional transmission.
• Leverage known neutrino flux variations from solar storms and rotation to calibrate expected signal patterns.
• Design the system to distinguish between natural neutrino flux modulations and potential artificial, modulated signals.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can variations in radioactive decay rates be reliably correlated with changes in solar neutrino flux?
• RQ2 Do pulsed signals in decay rate data correspond to modulated neutrino emissions from extraterrestrial sources?
• RQ3 Can a network of decay-rate detectors detect and localize artificial neutrino signals with sufficient sensitivity?
• RQ4 What is the minimum detectable modulation depth in decay rates for a neutrino-based interstellar signal?
• RQ5 How can background noise from solar and terrestrial sources be effectively filtered out in such a detection system?

Key findings

• The authors observe a correlation between solar activity, neutrino flux variations, and anomalies in radioactive decay rates, suggesting a potential physical link.
• The proposal is based on empirical observations of decay rate deviations during solar storms and annual variations in Earth-Sun distance.
• The network design aims to detect pulsed signals by analyzing temporal patterns in decay rate fluctuations across multiple detectors.
• The method assumes that if neutrinos carry artificial signals, they could modulate decay rates in a detectable, non-random way.
• The approach offers a new, non-electromagnetic pathway for SETI, potentially bypassing the limitations of radio-based searches.
• The proposal is framed as a testable hypothesis: if neutrino-mediated decay rate modulation is real, then a networked detection system could identify artificial signals.