title: Global warming as a detectable thermodynamic marker of Earth-like extrasolar civilizations: the case for a telescope like Colossus.
abstract: Earth-like civilizations generate heat from the energy that they utilize. The thermal radiation from this heat can be a thermodynamic marker for civilizations. Here we model such planetary radiation on Earth-like planets and propose a strategy for detecting such an alienunintentionalthermodynamic electromagnetic biomarker. We show that astronomical infrared (IR)civilization biomarkersmay be detected within an interestingly large cosmic volume using a 70 m-class or larger telescope. In particular, the Colossus telescope with achievable coronagraphic and adaptive optics performance may reveal Earth-like civilizations from visible and IR photometry timeseries' taken during an exoplanetary orbit period. The detection of an alien heat signature will have far-ranging implications, but even a null result, given 70 m aperture sensitivity, could also have broad social implications.
authors: University of Hawaii , Institute for Astronomy , 34 Ohia Ku St , Pukalani , Maui , HI , 96768 , USA.
authors: Jeff R
authors: JR
authors: Kuhn
authors: NASA Astrobiology Institute , University of Hawaii , Institute for Astronomy , 2680 Woodlawn Dr , Honolulu , HI 96822 , USA ; Kiepenheuer Institut fuer Sonnenphysik , Schoeneckstr. 6 , 79104 Freiburg , Germany.
authors: Svetlana V
authors: SV
authors: Berdyugina
keywords: Kardashev Type I civilizations; civilization biomarker; extraterrestrial civilizations; global warming