3 ms·

Or do something else with the 625x more resources you need? I'd probably let the 4% escape and do something nice with the 625x more resources.

• danieltillett 9y ago
  You don't need 625x the material resources to capture the last 4%. Think multiple shells with the outermost shell being 1 atom thick.
  • falcolas 9y ago
    What atoms - when arranged in a single-atom-thickness structure - could collect, transform, and transfer radiant energy back towards the inner shells, while also remaining rigid enough to not deform under the pressure of that radiant energy (not to mention the energy emitted by other stellar phenomena)? For better or worse, we have to assume the alien civilizations have the same physics that we do, otherwise the civilization simply has to build their 1au sphere out of artificially created unobtainium to achieve 99% efficiency.
    • hellcow 9y ago
      The Three Body Problem (sci-fi book) had a similar puzzle in it--i.e. how can something as small as an atom have such a profound effect on our civilization? I won't spoil it, but it's well worth reading.
    • danieltillett 9y ago
      Carbon. The outer shell does not need to be a single structure. A swam of micro satellites orbiting at 25 AU with 1 atom thick carbon antenna collectors (think black snowflake) would on average be not much more than 1 atom thick and would collect 99% of the energy emitted by the star or inner shell(s). This is all rather beyond what my post was about which is that only inefficient Dyson spheres can be detected in the infrared and that any civilisation capable of building a 95% efficient sphere is able to build one that is 99%.