The REACH radiometer for detecting the 21-cm hydrogen signal from redshift z ≈ 7.5–28
Journal
Date Issued
2022
Author(s)
de Lera Acedo, E.
•
de Villiers, D. I.L.
•
Razavi-Ghods, N.
•
Handley, W.
•
Fialkov, A.
•
Magro, A.
•
Anstey, D.
•
Bevins, H. T.J.
•
Chiello, R.
•
Cumner, J.
•
Josaitis, A. T.
•
Roque, I. L.V.
•
Sims, P. H.
•
Scheutwinkel, K. H.
•
Alexander, P.
•
•
Carey, S.
•
Cavillot, J.
•
Croukamp, W.
•
Ely, J. A.
•
Gessey-Jones, T.
•
Gueuning, Q.
•
Hills, R.
•
Kulkarni, G.
•
Maiolino, R.
•
Meerburg, P. D.
•
Mittal, S.
•
Pritchard, J. R.
•
Puchwein, E.
•
•
Shen, E.
•
Smirnov, O.
•
•
Zarb-Adami, K.
Abstract
Observations of the 21-cm line from primordial hydrogen promise to be one of the best tools to study the early epochs of the Universe: the dark ages, the cosmic dawn and the subsequent epoch of reionization. In 2018, the Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization Signature (EDGES) caught the attention of the cosmology community with a potential detection of an absorption feature in the sky-averaged radio spectrum centred at 78 MHz. The feature is deeper than expected, and, if confirmed, would call for new physics. However, different groups have re-analysed the EDGES data and questioned the reliability of the signal. The Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen (REACH) is a sky-averaged 21-cm experiment aiming at improving the current observations by tackling the issues faced by current instruments related to residual systematic signals in the data. The novel experimental approach focuses on detecting and jointly explaining these systematics together with the foregrounds and the cosmological signal using Bayesian statistics. To achieve this, REACH features simultaneous observations with two different antennas, an ultra-wideband system (redshift range about 7.5 to 28) and a receiver calibrator based on in-field measurements. Simulated observations forecast percent-level constraints on astrophysical parameters, potentially opening up a new window to the infant Universe.
Issn Identifier
2397-3366
Rights
open.access
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
s41550-022-01709-9.pdf
Description
[Administrators only]
Size
7.44 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
d54b11b7c2a072730c24391a9dab16dc
Loading...
Name
lera-acedo22.pdf
Description
postprint
Size
7.46 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c94247c30822a1a95343e0cc87996777