Abstract In two recent papers (Refs. Maccone (2011, 2009) ) this author proved that the radio communications among any pair of stars within our Galaxy are feasible with modest transmitted powers if the gravitational lenses of both stars are exploited. In the present paper we extend those innovative results to the case of radio communications among nearby galaxies. We show that the radio communications among galaxies may become feasible if the supermassive black holes, usually located at the center of galaxies, are exploited as gravitational lenses. In other words, a massive black hole may be regarded as a huge focusing device for radio waves being transmitted out of that galaxy and/or being received from another galaxy. This happens because a black hole is such a highly massive and compact object that all electromagnetic waves flying by its surface are highly deflected by its gravitational field and made to focus at a comparatively short distance from the black hole itself. Next we consider the possibility of building radio bridges between our own Galaxy (the Milky Way) and other nearby galaxies. This possibility is serious because, since 1974, astronomers have come to known that a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A does exist at the center of our Galaxy. In 2002 its mass was estimated to be of the order of 2.6 million solar masses, and in 2008 this estimate was increased to 4.31 million solar masses. Furthermore, in 2004 a team of astronomers reported the discovery of a potential intermediate-class black hole called GCIRS 13E orbiting around SgrA at about three light-years and having an estimated mass of 1,300 solar masses. These two big black holes could be our Galaxy's “antennae” for communications with alien civilizations harboring in other nearby galaxies. We mathematically show that the following radio bridges may be created between SgrA and the supermassive black hole located at the center of the nearby galaxies: The SgrA-Andromeda's (M31) P2 Black Hole radio bridge, having the distance of 2.5 million light years. The P2 Andromeda black hole is estimated to have a mass of about 40 million solar masses. The SgrA-M32 (a dwarf elliptical galaxy satellite of Andromeda-M31) radio bridge, with a 2.65 million light year distance. The M32 black hole is estimated to have a mass of about 3 million solar masses. The SgrA-M106 (also called NGC 4258, a spiral galaxy with anomalous arms) radio bridge, at about 24 million light years. The M106 black hole is estimated to have a mass of about 40 million solar masses. The SgrA-Sombrero Galaxy (also called M104 or NGC 4594, an unbarred spiral galaxy) at a distance of 29.3 million light years. Its black hole is estimated to have a mass of 1 billion solar masses. The SgrA-M87 radio bridge. M87 is the supergiant elliptical galaxy located at the center of the super-cluster of galaxies to which we belong, i.e. the Local Super Cluster, at the edge of which we are located. The distance between M87 and us is 53.5 million light years in the direction of the constellation of Virgo, which is why M87 and its surrounding clusters of galaxies are sometimes referred to as the Virgo Super Cluster. At the center of M87 is a supermassive black hole estimated to have a mass of 6.4 billion solar masses. M87 is also well known as “the jet galaxy” since a jet of energetic plasma originates at the core and extends out at least 5000 light-years. The conclusion that we draw from the mathematics describing these radio bridges across huge inter-galactic distances is surprising: they all perform better that the simple Sun–Alpha Cen A radio bridge, first studied in detail by this author in Ref. . In other words, the powers necessary to keep the radio link between SgrA and all of the above big black holes located in other nearby galaxies are smaller than the powers requested to keep the radio bridge between the Sun and Alpha Cen A. In other words still, despite inter-galactic distances are huge with respect to ordinary interstellar distances within the Milky Way, the black hole masses in the game are so much huger than the stellar masses than the intergalactic bridges perform better than the interstellar bridges. This unexpected and new result might have profound consequences on SETI done currently by Humans on Earth. In fact, more advanced civilizations might already have built such intergalactic radio-bridges. Thus our SETI searches should be tuned-up to match with this new situation, and the conclusion is that the possibility of SETI signals reaching us from other galaxies should not be ruled out.

    Highlights ► An old “prejudice” of SETI is that it is impossible to do Extra-Galactic SETI. ► This is wrong if supermassive black holes are used as gravitational lenses. ► ETs might use their supermassive black holes to beam at the Milky Way. ► Milky Way Civilizations might use SgrA⁎ for their Extra-Galactic transmissions. ► Thus, an Extra-Galactic Internet by supermassive black holes might exist already.


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    Title :

    SETI among galaxies by virtue of black holes


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Acta Astronautica ; 78 ; 109-120


    Publication date :

    2011-10-24


    Size :

    12 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




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