The Search for Extraterrestrials: Intercepting Alien Signals (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780387734538)

The author explores in detail the key problems in starting a search for extraterrestrial signals, the programs that have failed and those that continue. His book is the first book that treats electromagnetic frequencies besides RF and Microwave as possibilities for signal sources. The book includes the fundamental considerations and the physics of the necessary laser, UV, IR and RF technologies, as well as coding and information theory considerations. It explores future possibilities providing the reader with a comprehensive view of the many ways signals from aliens could be sent and explains why the search using RF leaves more than 99% of the electromagnetic spectrum unexamined. The book also demonstrates the many parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, considering the next likely steps in this unique enterprise. The ideas, concepts and approaches are clearly explained without the use of complex maths or physics.