Redshifted civilizations, galactic empires, and the Fermi paradox
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arXiv
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| Auteurs principaux: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866914484236320768 |
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| author | Reiss, Chris Feng, Justin C. |
| author_facet | Reiss, Chris Feng, Justin C. |
| contents | Given the vast distances between stars in the Milky Way and the long timescales required for interstellar travel, we consider how a civilization might overcome the constraints arising from finite lifespans and the speed of light without invoking exotic or novel physics. We consider several scenarios in which a civilization can migrate to a time-dilated frame within the scope of classical general relativity and without incurring a biologically intolerable level of acceleration. Remarkably, the power requirements are lower than one might expect; biologically tolerable orbits near the photon radius of Sgr A* can be maintained by a civilization well below the Type II threshold, and a single Type II civilization can establish a galaxy-spanning civilization with a time dilation factor of $10^4$, enabling trips spanning the diameter of the Milky Way within a human lifetime in the civilizational reference frame. We also find that isotropic, monochromatic signals from orbits near the photon radius of a black hole exhibit a downward frequency drift. The vulnerability of ultrarelativistic vessels to destruction, combined with the relatively short timescales on which adversarial civilizations can arise, provides a strong motivating element for the ``dark forest'' hypothesis. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_00377 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Redshifted civilizations, galactic empires, and the Fermi paradox Reiss, Chris Feng, Justin C. General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Popular Physics 83A99, 83C99 Given the vast distances between stars in the Milky Way and the long timescales required for interstellar travel, we consider how a civilization might overcome the constraints arising from finite lifespans and the speed of light without invoking exotic or novel physics. We consider several scenarios in which a civilization can migrate to a time-dilated frame within the scope of classical general relativity and without incurring a biologically intolerable level of acceleration. Remarkably, the power requirements are lower than one might expect; biologically tolerable orbits near the photon radius of Sgr A* can be maintained by a civilization well below the Type II threshold, and a single Type II civilization can establish a galaxy-spanning civilization with a time dilation factor of $10^4$, enabling trips spanning the diameter of the Milky Way within a human lifetime in the civilizational reference frame. We also find that isotropic, monochromatic signals from orbits near the photon radius of a black hole exhibit a downward frequency drift. The vulnerability of ultrarelativistic vessels to destruction, combined with the relatively short timescales on which adversarial civilizations can arise, provides a strong motivating element for the ``dark forest'' hypothesis. |
| title | Redshifted civilizations, galactic empires, and the Fermi paradox |
| topic | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Popular Physics 83A99, 83C99 |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.00377 |