Wormholes: Travelling through space and time.

Imagine being able to travel from Earth to Mars within the time span of a day. The distance of the Earth to Mars is 54.60 million kilometres. The distance between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy, which is the galaxy nearest to out milky way, is 2.537 million light years. The time taken to travel from the Earth to Mars is between 150 and 300 days while the time taken to travel between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years. So, imagine taking only days, months or weeks to get to Mars or the Andromeda galaxy! Imagine also, being able to travel from one universe to another universe. According to Dr Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, it is possible to travel, theoretically, that it is possible for more than one parallel universe to exist. 

So, what would allow us to travel from one point in space to another in a relatively short span of time? The answer is a wormhole. A wormhole is a hole in the fabric of space and time. It is a theoretical construct, meaning that it is a theory constructed to test a hypothetical concept. Theoretical concepts exist to define a certain concept which exists only in theory and are not observable phenomenon and are used by scientists to study things that cannot be observed. Science studies things and defines them, that is it describes them as real, if they are in someway observable. This includes seeing them, measuring them, smelling them, or sensing them using various kinds of apparatus. A wormhole can be best explained by taking a sheet of blank paper and putting two dots opposite each other at each end of the paper. Imagine that is the distance from your planet to another planet and that is the distance. Now fold the paper so that the two points meet each other. Imagine that a black hole is between the two dots. The dots are now nearer to each other. So space travelers travelling between two world located over vast distances of space can now enjoy speedier travel between once distant worlds.

Wormholes are described by scientists as tunnel-like connections in the fabric of space and time. They originate in Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. Wormholes unusual properties pique the interests of theoretical physicists who study their mathematical properties of time and space. Wormholes possess strange geometries. Their study can assist to further the boundaries of behaviour permitted in the Theory of General Relativity, meaning the types of behaviour or things that some phenomenon by theory is supposed to do , and possibly give insights into the effects of quantum gravity. 

What does a wormhole look like? What is its configuration? A wormhole is a tunnel like structure with a mouth as an entry point and another mouth as an exit point. These two points are connected by a 'throat", and by theory, permits a traveler into the wormhole to travel through to a distant point in space and time. Now the path through the wormhole will have several routes to the exit point. Scientists describe the different exit points as topologies. These distinct topologies give a traveler through the wormhole many different paths to exit the wormhole to his or her destination. It is like as if an ant that enters an anthill will have many different paths before it to travel through in order to reach its destination. However, I ask these questions;

Imagine being able to travel from Earth to Mars within the time span of a day. The distance of the Earth to Mars is 54.60 million kilometres. The distance between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy, which is the galaxy nearest to out milky way, is 2.537 million light years. The time taken to travel from the Earth to Mars is between 150 and 300 days while the time taken to travel between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years. so imagine taking only days , months or weeks to get to Mars or the Andromeda galaxy! Imagine also, being able to travel from one universe to another universe. According to Dr Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, it is possible to travel, theoretically, that it is possible for more than one parallel universe to exist. 

A. How do we know which path to take through the wormhole that will lead us to our destination?

B. how do we know if we will reach our desired destination or will we end up in some other place?

C. will we age when we travel to our destination?

D. will there be a difference in time when a traveler exits a wormhole?

The picture below shows a wormhole with its entry and exit mouths and a throat? 

E. Will a traveler reach his destination in this universe or another universe? 

The picture shows a wormhole with its entry and exit points. The channel between the entry and exit points. That channel is the throat of the wormhole

In science fiction, a wormhole is seen as a shortcut between two worlds resident in the same expanse in space and time just as the other planets in or solar system exist with our planet. It is supposed to shorten the time taken to travel between planets at any distance from each other. Suppose we want to travel through a wormhole to Mars in order to shorten the trip from a couple of months to perhaps just a day, then we can plunge through the wormhole in order to achieve this. But there is no particular reason why the distance between two worlds should be shorter through a wormhole. On the contrary, the distance could be even longer. The route could be twisted and lengthy but the entry and exit mouths being closer. Just imagine a worm entering a fruit, it makes its way through the fruit but when it exits, its exit point is closer to the entry point on the surface of the fruit. As described earlier the routes through a wormhole are called Topologies.

Wormholes can also exist within the classical black holes found in Einstein equations. But these are worthless when it comes to space travel. They can easily collapse before a spacecraft can enter them, leave alone a ray of light. Additionally, black holes are formed from collapsing stars have no associated wormhole at all.

A problem with wormholes has been postulated by some scientists. They postulate that worm hole geometries are inherently unstable. They postulate that the only way to keep them stable and not collapsing is material that has negative energy density- dark matter perhaps. However, they think that it is possible that quantum fluctuations in various fields might have the chance to keep them stable. The British scientist, Stephen Hawking conjectured that if at all worm holes were created, they cannot be used for time travel. Even if some exotic matter were used to stabilize them against instabilities. He argued that even the smallest particle could destabilize them sufficiently fast enough, thus preventing their use. Perhaps a type 2 or a type 3 civilization might invent a clever way to stabile them for use in space and time travel. Nonetheless, there is no experimental evidence for them

Wormhole geometries are inherently unstable. The only material that can be used to stabilize them against pinching off is material having negative energy density, at least in some reference frame. No classical matter can do this, but it is possible that quantum fluctuations in various fields might be able to.

To conclude, wormholes are an interesting scientific concept. It is theoretical and probably impossible to create, at least with contemporary scientific knowledge. It is good material for science fiction writers, but apart from that it is wishful thinking that we could ever create a stable wormhole. But as long as science brings forth exotic theoretical concepts, the imagination will be unleashed. 

Reasoning in Critical Thinking.

What is reasoning? According to Butterworth and Thwaites (2013) reasoning is the process where we move from the knowledge already know and understand to new knowledge and understanding. According to Butterworth and Thwaites (2013) reasoning is a higher skill. It forms the basis for reflection and creative thinking apart from use in critical thinking. They argue that it is bedrock of human advancement. Scientific and academic logic and thinking uses two principal types of thinking; deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. A third type is abductive reasoning.  

Deductive reasoning is a form of valid reasoning. It is sometimes referred to as a "top-down approach". Deductive reasoning works from a general theory or hypotheses, then by examining the possibilities we reach a specific and logical conclusion.


  

Deductive reasoning is a form of valid reasoning. It is sometimes referred to as a "top-down approach". Deductive reasoning works from a general theory or hypotheses, then by examining the possibilities we reach a specificand logical concuclusion by means of testing the possibilities. We can narrow down even further as observations are collected to address the hypotheses. This ultimately leads to the testing hypotheses with specific data. In other words, we start with a general statement or hypotheses in an area of interest and narrow down into more specific hypotheses that we can test. Therefore, deductive reasoning is a top-down reasoning approach. It is more close-ended and narrow in nature and is concerned with hypotheses testing. Deductive reasoning or logic is concerned with the validity of arguments; an argument is deductively valid if and only its conclusion follows a logically necessary consequence of its premises. Usually deductive reasoning follows the steps of a premise and a second premise and finally an inference or conclusion. A common form of deductive reasoning is called Syllogisms. In syllogisms, there are two statements, a major and a minor premise that reach a logical conclusion. For example, All dogs are mammals. An Alsatian is a dog. Therefore, an Alsatian is a mammal.

Deductive Reasoning:

Source www.socialresearchmethods.net

Inductive reasoning works in the reverse to deductive reasoning. It is a "bottom up approach " to reasoning. Inductive reasoning makes broad generalisations drawn from specific observations and measures, patterns, regularities are distinguished, some tentative hypotheses are articulated for exploration and investigation, and finally arriving at developing some conclusions or theories, and finally arrive at constructing some general conclusions or theories.

Therefore, inductive reasoning is a bottom-up approach that uses specific observations and moves to broader generalisations and theories.It uses data , then conclusions are drawn from the data. In inductive reasoning, if the premises are true, then the conclusion is probably true. Inductive reasoning has its place in the scientific method. It is used to form hypotheses and theories. Deductive reasoning is used to apply theories to specific situations.

Inductive Reasoning:

Source www.socialresearchmethods.net

Abductive reasoning is used to address the inherent weaknesses of deductive and inductive reasoning. Specifically, deductive reasoning is criticized for the lack of clarity in terms of how to select theory to be tested via formulating hypotheses. Inductive reasoning, on other hand, criticized because “no amount of empirical data will necessarily enable theory-building”. Abductive reasoning, as a third alternative, overcomes these weaknesses via adopting a pragmatist perspective. 

Abductive reasoning:

Source https://research-methodology.net/

Abductive reasoning usually starts with an incomplete set of observations and proceeds to the likeliest possible explanation for the group of observations. It is based on making and testing hypotheses using the best information available. It often entails making an educated guess after observing a phenomenon for which there is no clear explanation. 

Abductive reasoning is useful for forming hypotheses to be tested. Abductive reasoning is often used by doctors who make a diagnosis based on test results and by jurors who make decisions based on the evidence presented to them.

In conclusion, reasoning is the basis of logic, creative thinking and  critical thinking. Deductive reasoning begins with a general statement or hypothesis and narrows down further as observations are made to address the hypothesis. It is used to test a hypothesis. Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations that lead to broader  generalisations and theories. Abductive reasoning starts with an incomplete set of observations and proceeds to the likeliest possible explanation for the group of observations.

References:  Butterworth.J and Thwaites.G (2013). Thinking Skills:Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

    Second edition. Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Alina Bradford (2017). Deductive vs. Inductive Reasoning

Retrieved from 

https://www.livescience.com/21569-deduction-vs-induction.html

Alina Bradford. Deductive vs. Inductive Reasoning

Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3OXwpEpl8&t=16s

Deduction & Induction Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from 

https://socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php

Research Methodology. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttps://research-methodology.net/

Design Thinking: A Paradigm of Creativity and Innovation.

Design thinking is an innovative design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to problem solving. It is a methodology that is well-suited to solving ill-defined and unknown complex problems. It seeks solutions by understanding human needs. It reframes problems in human-centred ways, by creating ideas through brainstorming sessions, by adapting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing. Design thinking is anchored to a skill set consisting of five stages or phases: empathize define, ideate, prototype and test. 

There is nothing new to the approach as it has been in existence for a long time. However, it has recently seen an uptake. It is a process that is fast gaining ground.

Design thinking is a five stage or phase iterative approach. Each stage or phase forms parts of the process of solution development.

1. Empathize: Understanding by empathizing in order to help define the problem. This done in order to gain an empathetic understanding of the problem. The phase involves consulting subject matter or problem area experts about the problem area. It is done with observing, engaging and empathizing with people in order to understand their experiences and motivations. Also, the solution designer immerses himself or herself in the physical environment so as to gain a deeper personal understanding of the issues involved. Empathy is a crucial part of a human-centred design process. It is what allows solution designers to set aside their assumptions about the world and gain insight into the users and their needs. Contingent to constraints of time, as much information is gathered at this phase so that it can be used during the next stage, and to develop the deepest and best possible understanding of the users, their needs, and the underlying problems of the development of a solution or a product.

2. Define: The define stage is where the information obtained in the empathize stage is put together. The observations from the first stage/phase are analysed and synthesized in order for the core problems to be defined. Problems are defined as a problem statement in a human-centred manner. Suppose an automobile manufacture wants to " increase the sale of economy sedan by 15% over the next three years", the problem can be defined in a human-centered manner as "Economy sedans are much more economical to own and maintain". The define stage allows for effective ideas to establish features, functions, ad any other elements that will allow solution designers to solve the problem or if not permit the users to resolve issues themselves with minimum difficulty. 

3. Ideate: At the ideate stage, solution designers are ready to start idea generation. The solution designers have grown to understand the users and their requirements in the Empathize phase. The end-users needs have been analyzed and synthesized from the observations made at the Define Stage and would have evolved a human-centered problem statement. When these have been completed thus begins ideation. Ideation is simply "thinking out of the box" in order to find or identify new solutions to the problem statement. Ideation is conducted using myriad ideation techniques such as; Brainstorming, Brainwrite, Worst Possible Idea, and SCAMPER. Ideation must generate as many ideas or solutions as possible from the onset of the phase. 

4. Prototype: At  the prototype stage many versions of a solution or scaled down versions of a solution are or a product are produced. Prototypes are shared and tested among team members or with people outside the team. This is to investigate and analyse the problem solutions generated in the previous stage. The prototype phase is an experimental phase in which the best solution is derived. The solutions produced at this phase are implemented one by one , they are investigated and either are accepted, rejected, modified or improved all based in the users experience. By the end of this stage the solution developers will have a better idea and understanding of the constraints inherent to the solution or product and the problems that are present, and have a clearer picture of how real users would behave, think, and feel when interacting with the end product.

5. Test: This is the final phase in the of the five phase model. However, it is an iterative process and the design thinking is a non-linear approach to design. It is an iterative process where at various phases results generated during the testing phase are often used to refine one or more of the problems and inform the understanding of the user, the conditions of use, how people think, behave, and feel and to empathize. The test phase  sees the rigorous testing of the complete product or solution using the best solutions identified in the during the prototyping phase. This stage can still see modifications, alterations and refinements to products and solutions and derive as deep an understanding of the product and its user as much as possible.  

Source www.careerfoundry.com

In conclusion, design thinking is a human-centred and collaborative approach to designing  solutions or products. It is amind-set that empathises. It is about learning , experimenting, with permission to fail and retry. It allows for the evolution of new ideas and is highly creative and innovative. It asks for feedback and is iterative. It is non-linear. It stimulates creative confidence and is defiant of failure. It is optimistic in the processes it employs.  

References:

5 Stages in the Design Thinking
     Retrieved from www.interaction-design.org

Please send comments to the author.

The Indian Diaspora : A Poem.

To lands far away our ancestors traveled
To strange lands all our fore-parents traveled, so far
To distant shores, so far away from our motherland
Oh! Mother Bharat, farewell
Never will I see you again
Our sons and daughters will be born on distant shores
But in our hearts and minds we are of one blood
Our Bharat was once mighty and rich
Not a beggar was to be seen on a street
Till the Europeans came, only then was it was laid low
Even the Arab and the Turkmen could not so
Our hearts should beat as one
For we are all really one
Oh! Mother Bharat, you are in our hearts and souls
You are the spiritual home where all our souls reside 
Though not on your sacred soil we reside
When we see ourselves in the mirror
Our hearts flutter because we are of Bharat 
Across great oceans and lands we have spread 
But in our hearts and minds ,we will never forget
Till our dying day we will remain 
An Indian till our final breath

The Wise Serpent: A Poem.

You are a wanderer in the desert

The desert of loneliness

The magical spirits watch you

They watch in silence and thought

Not a word, not even a whisper.

You are a wanderer in the desert

The desert of loneliness

The wise serpent knows his way in the desert

But you do not, so you wander

Not a drop of love to quench your mighty pang of thirst

You thirst from the emptiness of life

The wise serpent knows where the fountain of the water of love is

So, he makes his way in happy knowledge

But you slither in abject sorrow and ignorance

So, he makes his way in knowledge

But you slither aimless in ignorance

You do not, you thirst

There is nothing you have to fill the chasm that is the void in your heart

The wise serpent cares not for this

But you care, you desperately want to, but you do get to escape, so you despair

Lonely wanderer, endless desert

Alien Civilisations: Types of Extraterrestrial Civilisations.

If alien civilisations exist then there must be a way to classify them. A hypothetical scale based on the correlation between the kind of civilisation and its energy availability combined with commensurate population growth was created by a Russian astrophysicist called Nikolai Kardashev in 1964. This scale is known as the Kardashev Scale. This is anchored on the logic that a society of intelligent beings develop more and more sophisticated technology their energy needs will increase along with population growth. They will have at their disposal various types of energy to use and this will not be from their home world but drawn from the stars and even the universe. 

The growth in demands for energy combined with population growth as a civilisation grows is true. As mankind moved from the Paleolithic Age, when we were still hunter-gatherers , into the Neolithic Age, when farming began, and into the Industrial Revolution there has a been a great need for coal, oil, gas, nuclear and hydroelectric power and now when we are in the Digital Age , also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there has been an ever growing need for energy. This need for energy reflects the complexity of the civilisation that needs it. As we travel through the expanse of space and time and our civilisation develops, there has been a parallel  exponential growth in population as economic growth expanded and many newly independent countries joined in the race towards economic development. When we were still hunter-gatherers back in the Palaeolitihic Age, our energy needs would have been simple.We needed wood to make fire to cook our food, give us light or illumination when its dark and perhaps to ward off dangerous animals. Wood was easily at our disposal then and easily sourced. When we moved into the Neolithic Age our farms and villages would have made use of wood, animal dung and beeswax as energy which we easily had. As we moved into the Copper and Bronze Ages and then into the Iron Age, our energy needs were still met with charcoal, oil, bitumen and coal, but the demand for them would had increased commensurate with population size. As the human population grew and steam and coal and fuel powered machines appeared in the form of trains, ships and eventually motorcars, our energy needs were met further by petrol and electricity and eventually nuclear power.. The current age sees the increased use of electricity for computers and their peripherals. Companies like IBM, Google,Daimler,and government organisations make use of banks of servers to store and distribute information. These devices consume vast amounts of electrical power and are met. This need is high due the population increase and economic development. This should hold true for an extraterrestrial civilisation that may have grown in a similar way as we humans have. We can see that as we progressed in our civilisations we had various kinds of energy at our disposal. Karsdashev observed this in 1964, and from there developed his scale.  

The scale that Kardashev classifies extraterrestrial civilisations are into three base classes. Type 1 , 2 and 3. Some astronomers expanded on the scale with type 4 and 5, but  these two classification were abandoned as unrealisable as will be explained. The criteria for classification was the energy consumption of each type of civilisation. According to Kardashev, there are three types of civilisations: Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3. All three types have energy resources at their availability and consequent disposal.  Although some astronomers have extended the scale to incorporate Type 4 and Type 5 it is thought that the energy needs of such civilisations would be equivalent to all the energy in the universe and in all universes and in all time-lines, that is at all stages of their development into sophisticated and technologically advanced states of civilisation. The Type 4 and Type 5 civilisations include not only their access to energy resources but their knowledge to construct the kinds of civilisations they exist in, that is the capability to develop advanced technology beyond what we on Earth can realise at this time.

Nikolai Kardashev.

To begin with, what is the type of civilisation of Earth at the present? Ours is a type 0 civilisation. According to Dr Michio Kaku, an American theoretical physicist, we are a type 0 civilisation because we still depend on fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal for much of our energy needs. We must also bear in my mind that we also use, uranium (a mineral) hydroelectric power and in small measure the so-called renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. These energy sources are all drawn from the earth or like solar power drawn from Earthbound solar panels. Dr Michio Kaku believes that for so long as we use fossil fuels we will always be a type 1 civilisation in about 100 to 200 hundred years time. He adds that the progress of science in the coming 100 years will determine whether we will remain a type 0 civilisation or we will perish!

Dr Michio Kaku.

A type 1 civilisation is one which is able to harness the power of the sun. This civilization will harness energy from a neighbouring star, transmit to their home world, store and satisfy its energy needs in order to keep pace with its increasing population. This is not possible for us on Earth at this time. We have yet to develop the technology to collect energy from our sun nor from a neighbouring sun. In order for us to do this, we will have to boost our current energy production by over 100,000 times to reach this level of ability. This would also mean that we would need to harness the entire energy output of the planet, that is to say, we must have control over the natural forces of volcanoes, the wind, waves and earthquakes. This is not really in our grasp but with advances in technology, we may arrive at that plateau where we can do so, but in comparison to more advanced civilisations, our feats will be small by comparison. 

A type 2 civilisation will  not only harness the power of its own star but control it by using gargantuan solar panel array called a Dyson Sphere.

An artisit's impression of a Dyson Sphere.

A Dyson Sphere will cover every centimetre of a star and in that way absorb every bit of solar energy issued by it. That civilisation would then store and use the energy. Alternatively, a type 2 civilisation may opt for nuclear fusion to obtain energy. This according to Dr Michio Kaku could be in the form of an enormous nuclear fusion reactor in orbit around a star where it will draw hydrogen for the star and produce fusion energy which will then be transmitted back to their planet for storage and use. Perhaps, we could see such society having several reactors around many stars doing the same. This is a civilisation that will have the capability to destroy with a massively powerful charged particle weapon, perhaps surpassing lasers, that can vaporise a large celestial body such as a comet or asteroid that could endanger its planet. It could also move its homeworld out of the trajectory of a gigantic comet or asteroid or even move another planet with the energy it has. 

A type 3 civilisation will have long surpassed any need for concerns about energy resulting in that species becoming a "master race" who now can concentrate on domination of the galaxy. This species can evolve into a specie that is part biological and part robotic. If we talk about human beings evolving in this way it will take a many many thousands of years to do so and we will call these beings cyborgs. We do not what an extraterrestrial specie will such beings but they too might evolve in this way. Cyborgs will have the gift of eternal life. If this occurs constant self-replication will witness an enormous expansion of population. This will then make it necessary for them to move large sections of their population to other inhabitable planets or they could make those planets inhabitable. They could then construct a large network of Dyson Spheres that are linked to each other thereby creating a galactic wide civilisation that controls space. They could collect the energy from their Dyson Spheres and relay it to their homeworld. However, there could be drawbacks in such a network. The laws of physics will constraint their efforts, especially the speed of light. The potential of travelling to other planets and stars will need speeds in excess of the speed of light, which according to Albert Einstein, cannot be exceeded.  The only they can work around the constraint of light speed is in two theoretical concepts: warp drive (https://futurismnews.tumblr.com/post/62055261581/sci-fi-becomes-sci-fact-the-real-star-trek-as/amp /  

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive  ) and using wormholes (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-wormholes-real/). However, as regards wormholes, there is some scepticism if they are possible to use for travelling in space (https://phys.org/news/2018-12-scientists-dismiss-idea-wormholes.html).

An artist's conceptualization of a Type 3 Civilisation.

A type 4 civilization was seen by Kardshev as being far too advanced for any civilization to achieve. Nonetheless, there are many people who think that such as civilisation could be achieved. They are opposed by a few who that such a civilisation is realisable. A type 4 civilisation will be able to harness the entire energy content of the universe. Such a civilization would be able to travel the length and breadth of the universe. they could even possibly live inside supermassive blackholes. Their energy requirements would be far in excess of any technology that can be envisaged and use technologies completely alien to the laws of physics. These would be very exotic technologies that we cannot visualise let alone conceptualise.

A Type 4 Civilisation.

A type 5 civilisation might be the logical progression from the type 4 civilisation. The criteria for this kind of civilisation is beyond imagination or conjecture. There cannot be an adequate scientific explanation for it. The species of this civilization will live like gods of mythology with the knowledge to manipulate the universe to their advantage. It is simply beyond conceptualisation.

Links:

https://futurism.com/ocean-world-hidden-body-of-water-uncovered-on-saturns-moon-dione

https://futurism.com/kardashev-scale-this-is-what-life-will-look-like-when-we-harness-the-energy-of-the-entire-universe

https://futurismnews.tumblr.com/post/62055261581/sci-fi-becomes-sci-fact-the-real-star-trek-as/amp

https://mkaku.org/home/articles/the-physics-of-extraterrestrial-civilizations/

Alien Solar Energy: The Dyson Sphere.

An Artist's conceptualization of a Dyson Sphere

Just imagine if humankind could get the full solar power of our sun and transfer it to the Earth in an incalculable quantity beyond that that cannot be envisaged at humankind's technological level, it would be truly remarkable. Visualize a gigantic solar panel array enveloping our sun constantly capturing pure solar energy and transferring it back to the Earth. If this were possible, it would go a long way in energy provision. However, a technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilization may have developed and deployed it. An American scientist envisaged such a titanic structure. It is named after him- The Dyson Sphere. 

This is at this time is impossible to engineer such a colossal array that could envelop the sun. The engineering challenges, the logistical hurdles, and the cost impediments will be beyond the capacities that we have today. The materials needed to construct such an array might not be met with what we have in our reach. The solar array will need fleets of spacecraft whose capabilities to carry huge loads of materials, construction crews be they human, android, robot or cyborg, and which can travel near our star's intense heat, are unimaginably beyond visualization or conceptualization. 

However, this could be within the scope of human ability in many years to come. But in 1960 an American scientist proposed that a technologically advanced alien civilization could develop such an engineering feat. If such an extraterrestrial civilization exists or a group of them exist, then perhaps this may be possible, if they have so desired to engineer such a machine. 

In 1960, the American scientist, Freeman Dyson , proposed the idea in a scientific paper titled; "Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation" that in order to detect a technologically and perhaps space-faring species, that detecting this civilization should be augmented with devices that can capture infra-red radiation from the solar array sphere to the home planet of that civilization. This is because Freeman Dyson must have visualized that the only way to transfer the solar energy captured by that sphere will by transferring it in infra-red form. Dyson is quoted in the paper as saying:

"If extraterrestrial intelligent beings exist and have reached a high level of technical development, one-by-product of their energy metabolism is likely to be the large-scale conversion of starlight into far-infrared radiation. It is proposed that a search for sources of infrared radiation should accompany the recently initiated search for interstellar radio communications.

Freeman Dyson.

We can understand this by paraphrase. What Dyson said was if an advanced technologically capable extraterrestrial species could meet their energy needs by tapping into the solar energy released by their star. This is sphere would consist of a gargantuan swarm of interlocked solar panels forming a colossal array, all arranged spherically. The solar energy would then be relayed back to their homeworld via infra-red energy. This is because at that time it was proposed that radio telescopes were to be used to search for intelligent advanced extraterrestrial life, the technology should be accompanied by devices that can detect the infra-red energy from such a sphere.

Dyson summed up lucidly the civilization that can construct such a gigantic engineering masterpiece and the technical specifications for its energy output in the following:

1) If a civilization grows at 1% per year, it only takes about 3,000 years to grow by a factor of 10¹²

2) The material resources presently available for us to do stuff with the amount to about 10²⁰ grams and Earth receives about 10²⁰ ergs per second of energy - so a 3000 year growing civilization will run out of energy or the matter to construct better means of acquiring (stellar) energy

3) Using our solar system as a template: Jupiter contains about 2x10³⁰ grams of ‘available’ mass, and the TOTAL rate of energy output of the Sun is 4x10³³ ergs per second

4) It ‘only’ takes about 10⁴⁴ ergs to disassemble and re-arrange the matter in Jupiter - or about 800 years worth of total stellar output

5) Therefore, there would be strong motivation to re-purpose Jupiter’s mass into a 2-3 metre thick spherical shell at Earth’s present (habitable zone) orbit, surrounding the Sun, capturing all energy and habitable on the interior surface…

Dyson pointed out that this sphere must maintain thermodynamic equilibrium with the enclosed star and the rest of the cosmos, so from the outside it must glow with the luminosity of the star, but with a spectrum shifted to the infrared - consistent with the high temperatures of its surface. And he suggests that one avenue to pursue in the hunt for such structures might be to study binary star systems where one star is easily visible, but the other is an intense infrared source.

Currently, the search for extraterrestrial life uses radio telescopes, radio transmissions, and laser beams, but that is for other kinds of responses or messages from extraterrestrials. Astronomers have used space-borne telescopes such as the Hubble and Keppler space telescopes to search for any evidence for Dyson Spheres in outer space. So far there has been no indication of the existence of such a hemispheroidal construction. It could be that they do exist but maybe too far to detect, or never constructed for the reasons of unavailability of technology, exorbitantly high costs, alternative sources of energy are being used or seen as technologically impractical. According to astronomer Seth Shostak, the lack of evidence of Dyson Spheres does not translate to their non-existence, but that we have not found them yet. It would be presumptuous to preclude the existence of such a structure as a Dyson Sphere. It could be thought of by an intelligent species. If you could get energy in such abundance, but of course after heavy financial outlay and engineering and scientific output, who would not want to create such a colossal and complex but a technologically marvelous machine. 

Seth Shostak. 

Seth Shostak, who is a senior astronomer at SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), an institute that searches for intelligent life on other worlds, calls the search for structures such as the Dyson Sphere as artifact hunting. He believes that while radio transmissions to other planets, which is what SETI does, is useful, but radio emissions will take a considerably long time to be received by an intelligent alien, even if that or those aliens live on planets in nearby solar systems. This is due to what he terms synchronicity. Synchronicity means that when a radio transmission is sent from Earth it must be detected by extraterrestrial life. This can take a long time even if at light speed it will take many light years for radio transmission to reach another planet. A transmission could possibly reach a planet without advanced life to capture and interpret the signal. It is possible that it might reach an uninhabitable planet. It must also be considered that technologically advanced intelligence may exist but did not construct a Dyson Sphere. This could be because they may not have envisaged it, or the technological hurdles were too great, highly exorbitant financial costs, they may have other renewable energy sources, or they may use another star nearby and are transmitting the energy back to them. Seth Shostak said that while we have not found a Dyson Sphere, its existence cannot be ruled out. He says that the search for them is worthwhile because an alien civilization could have thought of the technology and had the necessary expertise and resources to construct one. He called searching for them 'artifact hunting' (https://www.seti.org/why-alien-megastructures-may-hold-key-making-contact-extraterrestrials). Spheroids are permanent structures that can be detected from the heat on the back of their solar panels. The star they envelop will not be radiating light without encumbrance as it will be blocked at spaces where solar panels are installed. This is not normal for a stellar object like a sun. It will be like light from a lit candle being blocked by hands cupping the flame. Some light still passes through the fingers of a cupped hand.

We can ask if any alien megastructures have been detected. Indeed, in 2015, astronomer Tabetha Boyajuan and her colleagues (https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/tabby-s-star-mystery-still-hasn-t-been-solved-ncna797741) reported locating a nearby star some 1400 light-years away. The star manifested odd behavior that is not consistent with stellar behavior. It dimmed constantly.

In conclusion, if a Dyson Sphere is detected, then it is confirmation of the existence of advanced extraterrestrial life. But we cannot discount the existence of technologically advanced alien life on the premise of not finding a Dyson Spheroid. It might be a matter that our telescopes or other detection and search technologies have not been able to locate them. it could be that an advanced society did not want to construct them for the reasons mentioned. Therefore, we must be patient but critical and sober. We cannot rule out things but must think critically, have perseverance, think creatively, and be optimistic.

Another artist's conceptualisation of a Dyson Sphere.

Links:

https://www.seti.org/why-alien-megastructures-may-hold-key-making-contact-extraterrestrials

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/tabby-s-star-mystery-still-hasn-t-been-solved-ncna797741

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/131/3414/1667/tab-pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayBjP74eE8Q&t=733s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7peBNSWFA40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qmeT5MreH8