Since physicist Freeman Dyson introduced the idea in 1960, the “Dyson sphere” has become one of the most sought-after possible technosignatures in the search for advanced alien civilizations.
The basic idea is that a civilization far beyond our own could surround its star with a “sphere” (or, in our more modern understanding, a “swarm” of smaller components) designed to capture nearly all of the star’s energy. Such a structure is theoretically possible, but astronomers still face a key question: what would it look like from Earth?
A new preprint on arXiv by Amirnezam Amiri of the University of Arkansas examines that question and identifies the kinds of stars where Dyson swarms may be most worth searching for.
To read more, click here.