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Radio Pulses from the Direction of the Galactic Centre

Abstract

WEBER1–3 has reported detecting pulses of gravitational radiation. The flux density per event is about 3 × 105 erg cm−2 s−1 Hz−1 at 1,660 Hz, implying a possible release of 1054 erg, equivalent to about 1 M, if the radiation originates in the region of the Galactic centre. It has been suggested that if only 1 part in 1025 of the energy were radiated in the electromagnetic spectrum, this could be detected. Some attempts have been made at radio wavelengths4–6, at optical wavelengths (J. T. Delaney, B. Lawless and G. A. Baird, unpublished) and in the X-ray band7,8, but so far without success. Here we describe the results of a new experiment to correlate radio pulses at 858 MHz with events observed by Weber, but to a better radio sensitivity than has been achieved so far. The results are inconclusive at present, but there is strong evidence for the existence of discrete radio pulses of extra-terrestrial origin.

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HUGHES, V., RETALLACK, D. Radio Pulses from the Direction of the Galactic Centre. Nature 242, 105–107 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/242105a0

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