Choosing a Maximum Drift Rate: Astrophysical Considerations

Abstract

A radio transmitter which is accelerating with a non-zero radial component with respect to a receiver will produce a signal that appears to change in frequency over time. This effect, commonly produced in astrophysical situations where orbital and rotational motions are ubiquitous, is called a drift rate. In radio SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) research, it is unknown a priori which frequency a signal is being sent at, or even if there will be any drift rate at all besides motions in the solar system. Therefore a range of potential drift rates need to be individually searched, and a maximum drift rate needs to be chosen. The middle of this range is zero, indicating no acceleration, but the absolute value for the limits remains unconstrained. A balance must be struck between computational time and the possibility of excluding a signal from ETI. In this work, we examine physical considerations that constrain a maximum drift rate and highlight the importance of this problem in any narrowband...