Abstract:

The techniques used in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence searches primarily derive from the question "How could we go about attracting the attention of our Galactic neighbors?" The techniques for creating a signal that can easily be detected as artificial are well known. The techniques for extracting such a signal from the natural background and the local artificial interference are more complex. I will discuss these techniques in general, the problems that affect their uses, and in specific how they are implemented in the SETI@home server, application, and post-processing code.