[ExI] explanation of reasoning behind very low signal data rate

[spike at rainier66.com]

How do you dim a star at a few Hz rate, Keith asked.

 

I answer: you don't.  There is no need to send signals at data rates that
high.  The only message that needs to be sent out is "Hello galaxy, we are
here."  OK, so what is the lowest number of bits needed to send the signal
"Hello galaxy, we are here" please?

 

Imagine a variation on a theme of an MBrain, call it an SBrain, where the S
is for. oh I don't know, Sandberg, or sacrilege or schmike, for instance.
Imagine an SBrain is a spherical sun-sized cluster of nodes orbiting about
the barycenter of the many nodes.  If the density of the nodes is
approximately one node per million cubic meters, the SBrain would contain
about 1.4E12 nodes.

 

Imagine the entire trillion node body orbits a star (imagine that star to be
like our sun, same brightness, same mass.)  With one node per million cubic
meters, most of the star's radiation would pass through the diaphanous body,
all but perhaps 5% of it.  Imagine that SBrain orbiting the star at about 1
AU, so that its orbit is once a year.  An observer positioned in the plane
of the orbit would see a slight dimming once a year, for about seven hours
from start of dimming to end.

 

Now imagine a five solar diameters away in the same orbit a second SBrain.
The two SBrains travel around the star, causing a double dip in brightness.
OK now imagine ten solar diameters back, a third SBrain, then five diameters
behind that one another and five diameters back, a third.  Another empty ten
solar diameters, then a series of five SBrains, separated by the usual five
solar diameters.  Repeat for seven, then eleven, then thirteen SBrains.

 

Observers in the plane of those 41 orbiting SBrains would observe a slight
dimming of that star in a pattern which cannot be a natural phenomenon, the
first six prime numbers in base 1.  This dimming could be observed thousands
of light years away, and every observer would be well aware of what it
meant: an advanced civilization built that.  That advanced civilization
would realize there is no point in sending out laser signals to dead stars,
since most stars are dead.  All it would be doing is very passively
signaling that it is there, and it is alive.

 

But, one might reasonably object, only other stars very nearly in the plane
of that orbit would be able to observe the dimming.  Sure.  But an advanced
civilization could go out a bit further, a few solar diameters would be
plenty, and create a second ring of SBrains inclined a milliradian to the
first, arranged the same way as the first.  It would take a bit over a year
to dim out the signal compared to the inner ring, but what's the hurry?  If
all that civilization is doing is telling the galaxy "Hello galaxy, we are
here" well, what's the big hurry?  This old galaxy has been here a long
time?

 

The advanced civilization could create arbitrarily many such rings, each
tilted a milliradian to the adjacent ring inside itself and the adjacent
ring outside itself. 3142 such rings would present a prime dimming pattern
everywhere.

 

The MBrain's thermal problem does not hinder the SBrain, since the SBrains
do not block a significant fraction of the star's energy.  This notion does
not form a Kardashev 2 and is not going there, for it realizes the laws of
nature do not allow Kardashev 2 using this technology.  The accursed second
law of thermodynamics spoils everything.

 

Why send such a signal?  Because as soon as any nearby intelligent
civilization realized there was a technologically advanced civilization
nearby, it would use its laser to start sending signals to that system.  The
SBrains would get free intelligence, and identifying which stars contain
civilizations capable of receiving signals sent at much higher data rates
using a laser, as Keith suggested.  Until the SBrains figure out where the
live stars are located, the laser is a waste of energy and effort.  The
SBrain first six prime signal, sent passively identifies where someone is
listening.

 

BillK, please offer the above to your favorite AI for adjudication.

 

spike

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