SETI Signal Processing: Searching for Technosignatures
SETI, or the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, attempts to answer one of humanity’s oldest questions: Are we alone in the universe? While astronomers have devoted significant effort to finding exoplanets and trying to observe evidence of remote astro-biology, a parallel exploration involves observation of “technosignatures”, or radio signals that originate outside the solar system with characteristics suggesting an intelligent source.
In many ways radio SETI is a special class of communications problem in the realm of electrical engineering, with aspects of game theory in the mix. Consider the challenges: the signal is unknown, and may be intentional (a beacon) or unintentional (involving navigation or communications). The transmit frequency is unknown. If a limited message is sent, the modulation will be unknown, and even if bits are produced, the message must be decoded. Energy or geometry may limit persistence, so only a small fraction of observations in any pointing direction will have a chance at detection. Without knowledge of the signal, matched filtering is not possible. Link budgets may force limits on the signal bandwidth (narrowband tones) or time duration (pulse trains).
This talk will introduce the SETI problem and describe the scope of efforts underway in the radio SETI community. Search strategies to maximize detection rate will be described, and narrowband SETI algorithms will be introduced. In recent years, SETI search capabilities have vastly improved with the use of interferometric arrays covering GHz-class bandwidths, commensal observing, and the use of racks of GPU-enhanced servers, significantly raising the potential for new discoveries.
Date and Time
Location
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- Beeb's Sports Bar and Grill
- 915 Club House Drive
- Livermore, California
- United States
- Building: Golf course restaurant, not the pro shop
- Starts 12 December 2025 08:30 PM UTC
- Ends 21 January 2026 01:00 AM UTC
- Admission fee ?
Speakers
Kenneth
SETI
Biography:
Kenneth Houston is a visiting scholar at the University of California Berkeley, contributing to the Breakthrough Listen project at the Berkeley SETI Research Center. He retired from industry in 2017. Over his career, he has worked on a wide range of projects related to acoustics, RF, communications and signal processing, and assumed various lead roles designing and implementing DSP-based systems. His SETI work has involved search strategy and various aspects of search system design, including detection algorithms for drifting narrow-band signals.
He holds the SB degree from Harvard University, the Master of Engineering degree in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Master of Engineering Management degree from the Gordon Institute of Tufts University. He is a Life Member of the IEEE and previously served for two years as the chairman of the Providence Section.
Ken
SETI
SETI, or the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, attempts to answer one of humanity’s oldest questions.
Biography:
Kenneth Houston is a visiting scholar at the University of California Berkeley, contributing to the Breakthrough Listen project at the Berkeley SETI Research Center. He retired from industry in 2017. Over his career, he has worked on a wide range of projects related to acoustics, RF, communications and signal processing, and assumed various lead roles designing and implementing DSP-based systems. His SETI work has involved search strategy and various aspects of search system design, including detection algorithms for drifting narrow-band signals.
He holds the SB degree from Harvard University, the Master of Engineering degree in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Master of Engineering Management degree from the Gordon Institute of Tufts University. He is a Life Member of the IEEE and previously served for two years as the chairman of the Providence Section.
Agenda
Presentation and lunch. Buffet or order from menu (included) depending upon the number of registrants. Fee for IEEE members is subsidized.