Dyson sphere

A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure that encompasses a star and captures a large percentage of its solar power output.[1][2][3] The concept is a thought experiment that attempts to imagine how a spacefaring civilization would meet its energy requirements once those requirements exceed what can be generated from the home planet's resources alone. Because only a tiny fraction of a star's energy emissions reaches the surface of any orbiting planet, building structures encircling a star would enable a civilization to harvest far more energy.

Freeman Dyson, the first scientist to explore the concept

The first modern imagining of such a structure was by Olaf Stapledon in his science fiction novel Star Maker (1937). The concept was later explored by the physicist Freeman Dyson in his 1960 paper "Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation". Dyson speculated that such structures would be the logical consequence of the escalating energy needs of a technological civilization and would be a necessity for its long-term survival. A signature of such spheres detected in astronomical searches could be an indicator of extraterrestrial life.

Since Dyson's paper, many variant designs involving an artificial structure or series of structures to encompass a star have been proposed in exploratory engineering or described in science fiction, often under the name "Dyson sphere". Fictional depictions often describe a solid shell of matter enclosing a star – an arrangement considered by Dyson himself to be impossible.

Origins
See also: Energy development

Inspired by the 1937 science fiction novel Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon,[4] the physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson was the first to formalize the concept of what became known as the "Dyson sphere" in his 1960 Science paper "Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infra-Red Radiation". Dyson theorized that as the energy requirements of an advanced technological civilization increased, there would come a time when it would need to systematically harvest the energy from its local star on a large scale. He speculated that this could be done via a system of structures orbiting the star, designed to intercept and collect its energy. He argued that as the structure would result in the large-scale conversion of starlight into far-infrared radiation, an earth-based search for sources of infrared radiation could identify stars supporting intelligent life.[5]

Dyson did not detail how such a system could be constructed, simply referring to it in the paper as a 'shell' or 'biosphere'. He later clarified that he did not have in mind a solid structure, saying "A solid shell or ring surrounding a star is mechanically impossible. The form of 'biosphere' which I envisaged consists of a loose collection or swarm of objects traveling on independent orbits around the star".[6] Such a concept has often been referred to as a Dyson swarm,[7] though in 2013 Dyson said that he had come to regret that the concept had been named after him.[8]

Search for megastructures

Dyson-style energy collectors around a distant star would absorb and re-radiate energy from the star. The wavelengths of such re-radiated energy may be atypical for the star's spectral type, due to the presence of heavy elements not naturally occurring within the star. If the percentage of such atypical wavelengths were to be significant, an alien megastructure could be detected at interstellar distances.[5] This could indicate the presence of what has been called a Type II Kardashev civilization.[9]

SETI has looked for such infrared-heavy spectra from solar analogs, as has Fermilab.[10][11] Fermilab discovered 17 potential "ambiguous" candidates, of which four were in 2006 called "amusing but still questionable".[10] Later searches also resulted in several candidates, all of which remain unconfirmed.[12][13][14]

On 14 October 2015, Planet Hunters' citizen scientists discovered unusual light fluctuations of the star KIC 8462852 raising press speculation that a Dyson sphere may have been discovered.[15][16] However, subsequent analysis showed that the results were consistent with the presence of dust.[17][18]

Feasibility and science-based speculation

Although Dyson sphere systems are theoretically possible, building a stable megastructure around the Sun is currently far beyond humanity's engineering capacity. The number of craft required to obtain, transmit, and maintain a complete Dyson sphere exceeds present-day industrial capabilities. George Dvorsky has advocated the use of self-replicating robots to overcome this limitation in the relatively near term.[19] Some have suggested that Dyson sphere habitats could be built around white dwarfs[20] and even pulsars.[21]

Stellar engines are hypothetical megastructures whose purpose is to extract useful energy from a star, sometimes for specific purposes. For example, Matrioshka brains have been proposed to extract energy for computation, while Shkadov thrusters would extract energy for propulsion. Some proposed stellar engine designs are based on the Dyson sphere.[22][23]

Fictional accounts

A precursor to the concept of Dyson spheres was featured in the 1937 novel Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon,[1] in which he described "every solar system... surrounded by a gauze of light-traps, which focused the escaping solar energy for intelligent use".[24]

Fictional Dyson spheres are typically solid structures forming a continuous shell around the star in question, although Dyson himself considered that prospect to be mechanically implausible.[2][3] They are sometimes used as the type of plot device known as a Big Dumb Object.[25]

Dyson spheres appear as a background element in many works of fiction, including the 1964 novel The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber where aliens enclose multiple stars in this way.[1][25][26] Dyson spheres are depicted in the 1975–1983 book series Saga of Cuckoo by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson, and one functions as the setting of Bob Shaw's 1975 novel Orbitsville and its sequels.[2][3]

Variations on the concept include a single circular band in Larry Niven's 1970 novel Ringworld,[3][27][28] a half sphere in the 2012 novel Bowl of Heaven by Gregory Benford and Niven,[2][3] and nested spheres—also known as a Matrioshka brain—in Colin Kapp's 1980s Cageworld series and Brian Stableford's 1979–1990 Asgard trilogy.[1][3]

See also

References
  1. Stableford, Brian M. (2006). "Dyson, Freeman (John) (1923–)". Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-0-415-97460-8.
  3. Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). "Dyson Sphere". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Archived from the original on 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  4. Dyson, Freeman (1979). Disturbing the Universe. Basic Books. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-465-01677-8. Some science fiction writers have wrongly given me the credit of inventing the artificial biosphere. In fact, I took the idea from Olaf Stapledon, one of their own colleagues
  5. Freeman J. Dyson (1960). "Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation". Science. 131 (3414): 1667–1668. Bibcode:1960Sci...131.1667D. doi:10.1126/science.131.3414.1667. PMID 17780673. S2CID 3195432.
  6. Dyson, F. J.; Maddox, J.; Anderson, P; Sloane, E. A. (1960). "Letters and Response, Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation". Science. 132 (3421): 250–253. doi:10.1126/science.132.3421.252-a. PMID 17748945.
  7. Smith, Jack (2020). "Review and viability of a Dyson Swarm as a form of Dyson Sphere". Physica Scripta. 97 (12): 122001. doi:10.1088/1402-4896/ac9e78. S2CID 237605010.
  8. "STARSHIP CENTURY SYMPOSIUM, MAY 21 - 22, 2013". 7 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  9. Kardashev, Nikolai. "On the Inevitability and the Possible Structures of Supercivilizations", The search for extraterrestrial life: Recent developments; Proceedings of the Symposium, Boston, MA, June 18–21, 1984 (A86-38126 17–88). Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Co., 1985, p. 497–504.
  10. Carrigan, D. (February 23, 2006). "Fermilab Dyson Sphere search program". Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2006-03-06. Retrieved 2006-03-02.
  11. Shostak, Seth (Spring 2009). "When Will We Find the Extraterrestrials?" (PDF). Engineering & Science. 72 (1): 12–21. ISSN 0013-7812. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-15.
  12. Dick Carrigan (2010-12-16). "Dyson Sphere Searches". Home.fnal.gov. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  13. Billings, Lee. "Alien Supercivilizations Absent from 100,000 Nearby Galaxies". Scientific American. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  14. "Infra digging: Looking for aliens: The search for extraterrestrials goes intergalactic". The Economist. 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2015-04-19. Fifty [galaxies] were red enough to be hosting aliens gobbling up half or more of their starlight.
  15. Andersen, Ross (13 October 2015). "The Most Mysterious Star in Our Galaxy". The Atlantic. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  16. Williams, Lee (15 October 2015). "Astronomers may have found giant alien 'megastructures' orbiting star near the Milky Way". The Independent. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  17. Boyajian, Tabetha S.; et al. (2018). "The First Post-Kepler Brightness Dips of KIC 8462852". The Astrophysical Journal. 853 (1). L8. arXiv:1801.00732. Bibcode:2018ApJ...853L...8B. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaa405. S2CID 215751718.
  18. Drake, Nadia (3 January 2018). "Mystery of 'Alien Megastructure' Star Has Been Cracked". National Geographic. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  19. Dvorsky, George (2012-03-20). "How to build a Dyson sphere in five (relatively) easy steps". Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  20. Semiz, İbrahim; Oğur, Salim (2015). "Dyson Spheres around White Dwarfs". arXiv:1503.04376 [physics.pop-ph].
  21. Osmanov, Z. (2015). "On the search for artificial Dyson-like structures around pulsars". Int. J. Astrobiol. 15 (2): 127–132. arXiv:1505.05131. Bibcode:2016IJAsB..15..127O. doi:10.1017/S1473550415000257. S2CID 13242388.
  22. "Stellar engine". The Internet Encyclopedia of Science. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  23. Badescu, Viorel; Richard B. Cathcart. "Space travel with solar power and a dyson sphere". Astronomy Today. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  24. Tate, Karl (14 January 2014). "Dyson Spheres: How Advanced Alien Civilizations Would Conquer the Galaxy". space.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  25. Pringle, David, ed. (1997). "Space Habitats". The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: The Definitive Illustrated Guide. Carlton. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-85868-385-0.
  26. Stableford, Brian (1999). "Fritz Leiber". In Bleiler, Richard (ed.). Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day (2nd ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 441. ISBN 0-684-80593-6. OCLC 40460120.
  27. Nicholls, Peter (1983). "Far-future energy". In Nicholls, Peter (ed.). The Science in Science Fiction. New York: Knopf. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0-394-53010-1. OCLC 8689657.
  28. Mann, George (2001). "Dyson Sphere". The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. p. 477. ISBN 978-0-7867-0887-1.
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