AST Colloquium: Detecting the 21 cm Signal from the Epoch of Reionization

AST Colloquium
Detecting the 21 cm Signal from the Epoch of Reionization

Dr. Jonathan Pober
Brown University

Register for Zoom Link Here

Abstract:
21 cm cosmology -- the concept of using radio telescopes to observe the highly redshifted 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen on cosmological scales -- is a field with tremendous scientific potential. The technique, however, is faced with a significant challenge: the need to recover a very faint signal behind a sea of foreground emission nearly five orders of magnitude stronger. A first generation of 21 cm cosmology experiments that targeted observations of the cosmological Epoch of Reionization (EoR) did not deliver a first detection of the hydrogen signal, but they provided critical testbeds for developing techniques to address the challenges inherent in these observations. A second generation of experiments are now underway, building on the lessons learned from previous efforts. Dr. Prober will discuss the status of these projects, with a focus on the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). Even if successful, these second generation experiments will only be the beginning for 21 cm cosmology, and he will conclude by discussing future directions for the field, both on the ground and the lunar far side.

Bio:
Prof. Pober works in the field of "21 cm cosmology" -- a program of research to observe neutral hydrogen from the early universe. His interests include both the development of new data science and radio astronomy techniques to make these observations possible, and the physics of early universe galaxy formation and cosmology that they probe. He is a graduate of Haverford College and holds a Master’s in Physics from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Astronomy from UC Berkeley. He is also a NASA Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellow focused on technology development to make a lunar far side radio array a reality.

Intended Audience:
All are Welcome!

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu