Galactic Colonization and Competition in a Young Galactic Disk

Abstract

Even if long-lived advanced technical civilizations arise very frequently and interstellar colonization is possible and common among them, it is argued that this colonization process is unlikely to fully occupy the Galaxy (i.e., saturate it) due to interactions between the colonizing civilizations. This argument is supported by the analysis of population dynamics equations based upon those of theoretical ecology which are believed to be applicable to an extremely wide range of behavior patterns. It is also pointed out that recent astronomical evidence suggests that the disk of our Galaxy may be substantially younger than previously thought, thus making a non-saturated colonization model more plausible.