Expected Signal Count Per Workunit

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Bill Butler
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Message 1385978 - Posted: 30 Jun 2013, 2:59:29 UTC

I wondered how efficiently workunit crunching digs out the types of signals we are looking for. So, I did the graph below from the Master Science Database on the Science status page.

Conclusion: Scientific research is difficult.




Notes:

    1. Results were used, not Workunits. So, for example, when computing the # of spikes per Workunit in the last 24 hours it was 1,814,321 Spikes / 494,105 Results. The Workunits were 574,720.

    2. This doesn't much matter for the whole database because 99% of the Workunits are Results workunits. But only 86% of Last 24 hours Workunits are Results workunits in this date/time snapshot.




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Message 1386112 - Posted: 30 Jun 2013, 13:30:07 UTC - in response to Message 1385978.  
Last modified: 30 Jun 2013, 13:32:00 UTC

Thanks for the chart.


One very striking feature of those numbers is the consistency between the recent results and the results for the entire project... But why are the spikes counts slightly different?

That all suggests that we are consistently seeing more of the same from Arecibo. (With a little more variability for spikes counts?)

Also, how are those results skewed by the caps imposed by the "-9" errors for too many results for a WU?

How much is RFI?

And do we see anything more than can be expected for random noise?

Are there interesting results hidden in there for the data being not-quite random?...


Can some summertime students be let loose on the data to look at the results anew afresh?

Keep searchin',
Martin
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Message 1386174 - Posted: 30 Jun 2013, 17:50:54 UTC
Last modified: 30 Jun 2013, 17:51:58 UTC

Are there interesting results hidden in there for the data being not-quite random?...


The autocorrelation processing and the rotation of the earth will tend to produce a normal curve. Since we expect noise to be truly random, It will display a Normal (Bell-shaped or Gaussian) spectrum of energy. It will essentially be removed. An intentional signal should pop up out of the noise and be detectable if it is not too weak.
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Message 1386262 - Posted: 1 Jul 2013, 0:47:44 UTC

I will post the same question I posted on the SETI home thread. Watching a show about super black holes and they were found by the speed stars and planets orbited around them. Could it be possible that a more advanced life form is using the energy and speed of a super black hole to travel from one galaxy to another? I know the gravity of them eat all around them but if it was used at a distance far enough away that it could be used to travel or even communicate. Is it possible to target those areas?
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Message 1386313 - Posted: 1 Jul 2013, 4:48:09 UTC - in response to Message 1386262.  

Is it possible to target those areas? (...around black holes)

I think you are on to something here. Astropulse seems to actually be a start on your idea. From the Astropulse FAQ's:

"What else might Astropulse find?
In addition to ET, Astropulse might detect other sources, such as rapidly rotating pulsars, exploding primordial black holes, or as-yet unknown astrophysical phenomena."




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Message 1386749 - Posted: 2 Jul 2013, 6:45:17 UTC

And I think a new 5th signal definition is coming - Autocorrelation count. I suspect that will be going into the Master Science Database.
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Message 1389675 - Posted: 11 Jul 2013, 6:24:25 UTC - in response to Message 1385978.  

Thanks for the chart Bill ! :)
Very interesting !
I hope we can see the same with the results of the autocorrelation... ;)
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Message boards : SETI@home Science : Expected Signal Count Per Workunit


 
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