top of page

Can We Really Communicate with Aliens After All?

What would aliens use if they wanted to share or speak with us?


The universe is currently more understood by humans than it has ever been. Still, we continue to have no idea where to look in interstellar space to locate other conscious civilizations like our own. That has not prevented us from looking for solutions, though. The latest results point to quantum communication as a potential means of extraterrestrial contact, which may also be helpful for other studies into safe communication techniques.


According to research published on June 28 in Physical Review D, photons might be transferred over great, interstellar distances without losing their quantum essence. Therefore, researchers looking for signals from alien life could potentially examine quantum communications.


Earth-based quantum communication is a technique that uses quantum particles to transmit information and has the potential to be more secure than conventional, or classical, communication and it is presently being developed by scientists. Theoretical physicist Arjun Berera believes that intelligent aliens if there are any, may have similarly adapted quantum communication.


Quantum coherence, in which a quantum particle loses its quantumness as it interacts with its environment, is a significant barrier to quantum communication. According to Berera, "Quantum states are typically thought of as extremely sensitive, and if there is any type of external interaction, you sort of destroy that state."


Since the matter in space has a far lower average density than it does on Earth, particles may travel further before becoming incoherent. Therefore, Berera and theoretical physicist Jaime Calderón Figueroa of the University of Edinburgh determined the maximum distance that light, in particular X-rays, could travel through interstellar space without damage. The researchers discovered that X-ray photons may reach hundreds of thousands of light-years or perhaps more, in addition to the Milky Way.


Berera and Calderón Figueroa thought about ways to look for E.T.'s quantum messages in light of the discoveries. Quantum teleportation, in which the characteristics of one distant particle may be transmitted to another, is one possible kind of communication to look for. Given that the technology needs both quantum and conventional messages, researchers might search for these simultaneous signals to spot any quantum missives from an alien intelligence.


Works Cited


"Aliens Could Send Us Interstellar Quantum Messages Using X-Rays | New Scientist". Newscientist.Com, 2022, https://www.newscientist.com/article/2322904-aliens-could-send-us-interstellar-quantum-messages-using-x-rays/.

49 views

Comments

bottom of page