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A joint analysis of the Drake equation and the Fermi paradox

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2013

Nikos Prantzos*
Affiliation:
Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, UMR7095 CNRS, Université P. & M. Curie, 98bis Bd. Arago, 75104 Paris, France e-mail: prantzos@iap.fr

Abstract

I propose a unified framework for a joint analysis of the Drake equation and the Fermi paradox, which enables a simultaneous, quantitative study of both of them. The analysis is based on a simplified form of the Drake equation and on a fairly simple scheme for the colonization of the Milky Way. It appears that for sufficiently long-lived civilizations, colonization of the Galaxy is the only reasonable option to gain knowledge about other life forms. This argument allows one to define a region in the parameter space of the Drake equation, where the Fermi paradox definitely holds (‘Strong Fermi paradox’).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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