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Dyson spheres on H-R diagram

Amirnezam Amiri

Abstract

The construction of Dyson spheres, megastructures designed to capture the total radiative output of stars, can be one of the most compelling techno-signature scenarios for advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. By considering equilibrium temperatures, we investigate the luminosities and fluxes of Dyson spheres built around two promising classes of host stars: white dwarfs and red M-dwarfs. Using radiative balance arguments and representative stellar parameters, we compute the temperature-radius relationship for full energy interception and place these hypothetical structures on the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram to assess their observational signatures. Our results show that Dyson spheres around white dwarfs produce cooler and fainter blackbody emissions, peaking in the near- to mid-infrared, while those around M-dwarfs radiate more strongly but at longer wavelengths. In both cases, the equilibrium temperature decreases as R_ D^-1/2, while the total luminosity and observed bolometric flux remain fixed by the stellar output. These findings highlight the astrophysical suitability of low-luminosity stars as Dyson sphere hosts and provide practical constraints for future techno-signature searches using infrared surveys.

Dyson spheres on H-R diagram

Abstract

The construction of Dyson spheres, megastructures designed to capture the total radiative output of stars, can be one of the most compelling techno-signature scenarios for advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. By considering equilibrium temperatures, we investigate the luminosities and fluxes of Dyson spheres built around two promising classes of host stars: white dwarfs and red M-dwarfs. Using radiative balance arguments and representative stellar parameters, we compute the temperature-radius relationship for full energy interception and place these hypothetical structures on the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram to assess their observational signatures. Our results show that Dyson spheres around white dwarfs produce cooler and fainter blackbody emissions, peaking in the near- to mid-infrared, while those around M-dwarfs radiate more strongly but at longer wavelengths. In both cases, the equilibrium temperature decreases as R_ D^-1/2, while the total luminosity and observed bolometric flux remain fixed by the stellar output. These findings highlight the astrophysical suitability of low-luminosity stars as Dyson sphere hosts and provide practical constraints for future techno-signature searches using infrared surveys.
Paper Structure (6 sections, 3 equations, 2 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 6 sections, 3 equations, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. White dwarfs, Red M-dwarfs, and Dyson Spheres
  3. Dyson Spheres around White and Red M-dwarfs
  4. Conclusion
  5. Future Studies
  6. Acknowledgments

Figures (2)

  • Figure S1: Illustration of a full Dyson sphere around a host star at a given distance (pc) from the observer. The red star represents either a white dwarf or an M-type red dwarf, while the Dyson sphere is depicted in orange to highlight its artificial nature.
  • Figure S2: A Schematic H--R diagram showing main-sequence stars, Supergiants, giants, and white dwarfs. Dyson spheres around white dwarfs and red M--dwarfs (orange square area) appear at low temperatures and low luminosities, displaced from their host stars. Top-right (black) figure is reproduced from publicly available materials of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0728c/.