Research Proposals
Thirteen working-draft observational programs targeting Omega Centauri's candidate intermediate-mass black hole — across neutrino, gamma-ray, radio, infrared, gravitational-wave, astrometric, and time-domain channels. Each proposal specifies a falsification framework: an observable that would rule out the OCS hypothesis, not just support it.
Neutrino channel
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PrimaryKM3NeT / ARCA — OC Technosignature Neutrino Search
Mediterranean upward-going-source geometry gives KM3NeT/ARCA substantially better OC sensitivity than IceCube. Primary neutrino instrument for this target.
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ComplementIceCube — OC Technosignature Neutrino Search
Directional high-energy neutrino analysis at the Häberle IMBH candidate position. OC at declination −47° is a downward-going source for IceCube — higher atmospheric background than for northern-sky targets.
Gamma-ray channel
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Multi-instrumentFermi-LAT / CTA-South Gamma-Ray Search
Gamma-ray technosignature search across accretion, jet, and beam-leakage scenarios. CTA-South provides Southern-hemisphere sensitivity above 100 GeV.
Radio channel
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Pulsar timingMeerKAT / SKA Millisecond Pulsar Timing Array
Pulsar-timing program to map OC's gravitational potential and constrain the IMBH mass profile via post-Keplerian timing residuals.
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Pulsar timing — DeepMeerKAT Deep Pulsar Timing — Expanded
Deeper version of the MeerKAT mass-profile program: longer integrations, more pulsars, tighter constraints on the central potential.
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TechnosignatureMeerKAT Radio Technosignature Survey
Narrowband radio beacon search at L-band and S-band toward the cluster core. SETI-style spectral analysis.
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Fast transients + dual-useRadio Search Program: Fast Transients, Narrowband Signals, Dual-Use Exotica Limits
Three-leg design: TRON-precedent fast-transient re-mining as the data anchor, an M49/FAST-calibrated rate framework, and a narrowband axion/dark-matter/technosignature design leg. Execution requires a data-leg partner.
Infrared channel
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JWSTJWST NIRSpec/IFU 'Managed Environment' Test
IR spectroscopic search for chemical signatures of managed tidal disruption events versus a naturally gas-starved core. The two scenarios are electromagnetically degenerate; chemical fingerprints proposed as the discriminant.
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JWST — DeepJWST NIRCam/MIRI Deep IR Accretion Limits
Tightening photometric upper limits on accretion luminosity around the IMBH candidate. Builds on Chen et al. (2025) non-detection.
Multi-messenger and gravitational waves
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Multi-messengerLIGO / KAGRA + Pierre Auger — Multi-Messenger Search
Continuous gravitational-wave search at the IMBH position combined with UHECR directional analysis from Pierre Auger.
Time-domain
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ZTF · Rubin/LSSTML Off-Nuclear TDE Search for Cluster IMBHs
Host-agnostic tidal-disruption classifier adapted from the ZTF search that found TDE 2025abcr, retuned one black-hole-mass rung down and pointed at globular clusters and stripped nuclei. A white-dwarf-disruption flag doubles as a mass-range-defining signature below ~10⁵ M☉.
Astrometry
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ELTELT / MICADO Proper-Motion Astrometry
Direct orbital constraints on the seven Häberle fast-moving stars from the next-generation 39 m European Extremely Large Telescope.
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HST · GaiaHST / Gaia Continued Monitoring of Fast-Moving Stars
Multi-epoch astrometric monitoring of the seven Häberle stars to refine the IMBH mass and test for non-Keplerian motion.