Photonics advances allow us to be seen across the universe, with major implications for search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Looking up at the night sky — expansive and seemingly endless, stars and constellations blinking and glimmering like jewels just out of reach — it’s impossible not to wonder: Are we alone? For many of us, the notion of intelligent life on other planets is as captivating as ideas come. Maybe in some other star system, maybe a billion light years away, there’s a civilization like ours asking the exact same question. Imagine if we sent up a visible signal that could eventually be seen across the entire universe. Imagine if another civilization did the same.