Virtual Technosignatures: Electromagnetic Stellar Spoofing for Interstellar Communication

Current METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) approaches face significant limitations in signal strength, power requirements, and reliance on active alien listening. Previous concepts for artificial stellar modification have focused on physical megastructures such as Dyson Spheres, which remain economically and technologically impractical with current Earth resources. This paper proposes a novel alternative: using coordinated electromagnetic interference to create virtual technosignatures that simulate megastructure transit patterns. Like a QR code that conveys information through geometric patterns readable by any scanner, this approach would create artificial stellar dimming sequences detectable by standard astronomical observation techniques used by any technologically advanced civilization conducting exoplanet surveys. The key advantage of this approach is that it uses existing technology and would be significantly less costly to implement than physical megastructures. This virtual megastructure concept offers immediate technical feasibility while creating unmistakably artificial signatures announcing Earth's technological readiness for contact. This proposal calls for interdisciplinary research into optimal transmission parameters, power requirements, and coordination protocols.