Table Of Content

Stellar Engineering Stellar Engineering GREG MATLOFF AND C BANGS images Dr. Gregory L. Matloff Professor Physics Department, New York City College of Technology, CUNY © Gregory L. Matloff and C Bangs 2019 ISBN (ppbk) 978-0-9934002-4-7 ISBN (ebook) 978-0-9934002-9-2 First published 2019 by Curtis Press This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, filmmaking, electronic reproduction of any kind, and electronic storage of any kind. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only after permission has been obtained from Curtis Press. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: JudithSDesigns&Creativity, www.judithsdesign.com Typeset in Times New Roman by Falcon Oast Graphic Art Ltd, www.falcon.uk.com Distributed in North America by SCB Visit Curtis Press at www.curtis-press.com Contents Dedication Preface Foreword by Les Johnson Acknowledgments About the Author and Artist Introduction. Why stellar engineering? Potential applications The scales of space and time: Is ET building space constructs? Origin of the concept Have we found one? Further reading 1. Thinking big The largest organism on Earth The slime mold amoeba—ambitious actions, small minds The termite and its mound Megaliths: Neolithic human megastructures Egypt’s pyramids: Megastructures of the Bronze Age China’s Great Wall and the Age of Iron Cathedrals—giant constructs of the Middle Ages Conclusions Further reading 2. If we can do it: Olaf and the star shell Olaf Stapledon: The man and the author Stapledon, the tidal hypothesis, and his views on the rarity of cosmic life A short synopsis of Star Maker Scientific/technological predictions of Star Maker Nuclear power Direct mind-to-mind communication Galactic and universal minds Genetic life form modification Cosmic impacts Worldships and space habitats The Big Bang and multiverse Conclusions: Olaf Stapledon and stellar megastructures Further reading 3. Freeman gets in the act A stellar but gentle career Dyson on global warming and nuclear winter Genetic engineering and biotechnology Into the galaxy? Stellar shells Major star shell Issue 1: Where does all the stuff come from? Major star shell Issue 2: Are Dyson/Stapledon spheres stable? Minor star shell Issue 3: Might the population drift off? Minor star shell Issue 4: Might atmosphere and oceans drift away? Minor star shell Issue 5: What about micrometeorites, comets, etc.? Minor star shell Issue 6: Can cosmic radiation be controlled? Stellar swarms Further reading 4. Kardashev speaks: ET and stellar energy A life for the stars The Kardashev Scale Becoming a Type I civilization: Some guidelines Becoming a Type II civilization: Some possibilities Creating Kardaschev Type III and IV civilizations Conclusions Further reading 5. Ring around a star Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) and stellar engineering Against the Fall of Night and The City and the Stars The Fountains of Paradise The Sentinel, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and its sequels Rama: A visiting world ship Larry Niven’s Ringworld A mobile Ringworld Technical Issue 1: Will the bowl hold together? Technical Issue 2: Does the star radiate enough energy? A more feasible version of Ringworld (hold the Scrith!) Not-so-benign stellar engineering Further reading 6. Fermi’s Paradox: An ill Omen? Enrico and his paradox Frank Drake and his equation Some possible answers to Fermi 1. They all self-destruct 2. Natural catastrophes 3. Berserkers 4. Everybody listens, nobody transmits 5. Maybe we are the first 6. The cosmic zoo 7. Different modes of future evolution 8. Maybe they are here and do not wish to be found Further reading 7. Exoplanets: An expanding search Humanity’s cosmic home: Our solar system Detecting exoplanets Radial velocity searches Application of astrometry Microlensing: An effect from general relativity The transit technique Direct imaging Progress to date and a few interesting planetary systems Kepler-62 and its planets The Trappist-1 planetary system Proxima Centauri: Our nearest stellar neighbor and its planet Further reading 8. The most interesting star in the galaxy The technique The spacecraft Citizen scientists The star The light curve of KIC 8462852 Competing hypotheses Might it be a comet swarm? How about a natural star-sized object eclipsing the star? Is KIC 8462852 a dying star? Could it be the result of instrument malfunction? Is a circumstellar dust cloud a leading contender? Is an alien megastructure a plausible contender? Continuing research Further reading Update 1: January 4, 2018 Update 2: March 15, 2018 Chapter 9. Other searches, other stars Infrared and stellar shells The Infrared Astronomy Satellite Searches for partial star shells using the Infrared Astronomy Satellite An infrared–microwave search for megastructures by a Russian astronomer A search for megastructures by two Japanese researchers (Part 1) A search for megastructures by two Japanese researchers (Part 2) An infrared astronomy satellite–based U.S. search that puts an upper limit on Dyson/Stapledon spheres Other Kepler stars of interest Other instruments that could be applied to the search The Hubble Space Telescope The Spitzer Space Telescope The Wide Field Infrared Explorer The James Webb Space Telescope Further reading 10. Steps toward star shells The space tether Gemini 11: Tethers and artificial gravity A tether test from a Space Shuttle Tether missions flown on robotic spacecraft By Jupiter! A one-dimensional megastructure Solar-photon sails: Two-dimensional megastructures? A heavenly elevator Further reading 11. The zone of life Classical habitable zones: Earth analogs are required Classical habitable zones: Only Sun-like stars need apply The habitable zone expands: The new solar system Venus’s atmosphere: A big surprise Mars: Everybody’s favorite rock Europa: Another water world in our solar system Titan: A moon with atmosphere The geysers of Enceladus Conclusions Further reading 12. How stars evolve Our stable Sun The life cycle of a star Stellar size and life expectancy Stellar surface temperatures Stellar spectral classes Putting it all together in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram Stellar evolution on the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram Where in this stellar zoo might we search for megastructures? Further reading 13. Architects, migrants, and artists Population and energy Migrating planets Small-body fly-bys Planet migration using a solar-photon sail Moving the Earth by moving the Moon Migrating stars To lift a star Star mining A longer lived star Smarter stars Beacons Active beacons Passive beacons Further reading 14. To cool the Earth The reality of climate change The Mont Blanc glacier Some geoengineering possibilities Altering Earth’s albedo Geological carbon sequestration Industrial solutions: Can we commercialize carbon dioxide? Local biosphere modification The L1 orbital sunshade: A small step toward megastructures Further reading 15. Are they here? Close stellar approaches: How frequent are they? Introducing the Kuiper belt Alien habitats in the Kuiper belt? Detecting alien habitats in the Kuiper belt Bolometric apparent magnitude of a Kuiper belt habitat Detecting lights on Kuiper belt space cities Searching for infrared emissions from artificial, inhabited Kuiper belt objects Kuiper belt space probes New Horizons A possible future mission An appreciation of deep time Conclusions Further reading Appendices Appendix 1: Prefixes Appendix 2: Scientific notation Appendix 3: Units and conversions Appendix 4: Some physical constants Appendix 5: Some physics quantities and equations Appendix 6: The electromagnetic spectrum Index