12-04, 13:30–14:20 (Europe/Luxembourg), Banquet Room
The Breakthrough Initiatives are a suite of scientific space exploration programs searching for signatures of life beyond Earth. These efforts include: Breakthrough Listen, a search for technosignatures and advanced life; Breakthrough Watch, a ground and space-borne program to detect and characterize nearby exoplanets; and Breakthrough Starshot, an interstellar program to develop lightsail probes destined to Alpha Centauri.
The Alpha Centauri system is a primary target for the Breakthrough Initiatives. As the closest star and planetary system to our Solar System at ~1.3 pc, our neighbor is intriguing. Multiple observations are ongoing, and plans are drawn up for an eventual visit. In the past few years, several planets have been confirmed orbiting Proxima Centauri – one appears to be earth sized in the star’s “habitable zone”. Recent results also suggest the presence of a giant planet in the habitable zone of Rigel Kentaurus. Non-thermal radio emission has been confirmed from Proxima and appears modulated by the planet Proxima b. There is even, albeit likely to be terrestrial interference, narrow band signals from the star.
The presentation will cover recent astronomical efforts related to this exciting nearby star system as well as life-detection mission within our own Solar System.
Near-term applications of the lightsail technology are being developed for future missions to Alpha Centauri, in particular missions flying close the sun, so-called sundivers, offer high speed, low-cost access to the outer solar system.
Simon Peter “Pete” Worden, (Brig Gen, USAF, Ret, PhD) is the Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center until retiring on March 31, 2015. He held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored over 150 scientific papers. On July 20, 2015 at the Royal Society in London, UK, Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking launched the Breakthrough Initiatives. At the press conference, Dr. Worden was introduced as the Chairman for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In this capacity he also leads the Breakthrough Initiatives as its Executive Director. From 2017 to the present, Brigadier General Worden has been an Advisor to the Luxembourg Space Agency and was appointed as a Knight-Commander of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2018 for his space services.