Overview
- New peer-reviewed paper from the SETI Institute, published in The Astrophysical Journal with NASA support, models how plasma turbulence near stars spreads narrowband signals and weakens their peaks.
- Using distortions measured from radio links to Sun-skimming spacecraft, the team calibrated a framework to estimate spectral broadening across star types and observing bands.
- Simulations find roughly 70% of stars can broaden signals by more than 1 Hz and about 30% by more than 10 Hz, with rare stellar eruptions pushing past 1,000 Hz.
- The broadening is predicted to be strongest around active M-dwarf systems, which are common in the Milky Way and frequently targeted for technosignature searches.
- Authors warn narrowband-optimized pipelines may miss real signals and recommend wider bandwidths, algorithms tuned for broadened features, and observations at higher radio frequencies.