Collaborative Research: 21 cm Reionization Science with the MWA

合作研究：与 MWA 的 21 厘米再电离科学

基本信息

批准号：
2106510
负责人：
Jonathan Pober
金额：
$ 44.59万
依托单位：
Brown University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2106510&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research 21 cm Reionization

项目摘要

The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) is the period of time in the early Universe when it is thought that the first stars and galaxies formed. Understanding the physics of galaxy formation and feedback during the EoR is one of the key goals of modern cosmology and astrophysics. Observations of neutral hydrogen in the early Universe have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of these first stars and galaxies. This work will improve data analysis with the Murchison Widefield Array telescope so that researchers can make significantly better detections of such faint signals, making the observations much more useful and providing a tool for researchers engaged in similar projects. In addition, this work will continue and expand the initiative to provide Research Experiences for Non-Traditional Undergraduates. Undergraduate research is an essential component in preparing students both for graduate school and for positions in the broader STEM workforce. Providing this kind of research experience to non-traditional undergraduate students will enable more of them to go on to graduate school, increasing the diversity of the broader STEM community.This award supports the continued work of a successful EoR analysis team. Over the past four years innovations by the US imaging power spectrum (PS) team have driven the field forward and have led to the deepest EoR PS limits in the world. The investigators will make the next steps needed to reduce the limits by another order of magnitude with Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) data. Specifically, this work will make improvements in PS analyses with the MWA that will lower limits on the signal strength by an order of magnitude, making deep cuts into the possible parameter space for EoR models. This research will be invaluable for the entire 21 cm community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

再电离时期 (EoR) 是早期宇宙中第一批恒星和星系形成的时期。了解 EoR 期间星系形成和反馈的物理原理是现代宇宙学和天体物理学的关键目标之一。对早期宇宙中中性氢的观测有可能彻底改变我们对这些第一批恒星和星系的理解。这项工作将改进默奇森宽场阵列望远镜的数据分析，以便研究人员能够更好地检测此类微弱信号，使观测结果更加有用，并为从事类似项目的研究人员提供工具。此外，这项工作将继续并扩大为非传统本科生提供研究经验的举措。本科生研究是学生为进入研究生院和在更广泛的 STEM 劳动力中担任职位做好准备的重要组成部分。向非传统本科生提供这种研究经验将使更多的人能够继续读研究生，从而增加更广泛的 STEM 社区的多样性。该奖项支持成功的 EoR 分析团队的持续工作。过去四年来，美国成像功率谱 (PS) 团队的创新推动了该领域的发展，并实现了世界上最深的 EoR PS 限制。研究人员将采取下一步所需的措施，利用默奇森宽场阵列 (MWA) 数据将限制降低另一个数量级。具体来说，这项工作将改进 MWA 的 PS 分析，将信号强度的限制降低一个数量级，从而深入削减 EoR 模型可能的参数空间。这项研究对于整个 21 cm 社区来说是无价的。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并且通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。