A near-infrared SETI experiment: instrument overview

摘要

We are designing and constructing a new SETI (Search for ExtraterrestrialIntelligence) instrument to search for direct evidence of interstellarcommunications via pulsed laser signals at near-infrared wavelengths. The newinstrument design builds upon our past optical SETI experiences, and is thefirst step toward a new, more versatile and sophisticated generation of veryfast optical and near-infrared pulse search devices. We present ourinstrumental design by giving an overview of the opto-mechanical design,detector selection and characterization, signal processing, and integrationprocedure. This project makes use of near-infrared (950-1650 nm) discreteamplification Avalanche Photodiodes (APD) that have greater than 1 GHzbandwidths with low noise characteristics and moderate gain (~10^4). We haveinvestigated the use of single versus multiple detectors in our instrument (seeMaire et al., this conference), and have optimized the system to have both highsensitivity and low false coincidence rates. Our design is optimized for usebehind a 1m telescope and includes an optical camera for acquisition andguiding. A goal is to make our instrument relatively economical and easy toduplicate. We describe our observational setup and our initial searchstrategies for SETI targets, and for potential interesting compactastrophysical objects.