Test of the South Pole as a Site for the Primeval Structure Telescope

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

The Primeval Structure Telescope (PAST) is intended for location and study of the earliest luminous objects in the Universe. This primeval structure contained the first stars, supernova explosions, and/or black holes. All these objects were strong sources of ultra-violet radiation, so they ionized the material surrounding them. This ionization will be sensed and studied. The structure of this ionization reflects the overall density structure at the redshift of luminous-object formation. By mapping this structure the PAST array will image the end of the Universe "dark ages". The PAST will sense emission from hydrogen atoms, the most common atoms in the Universe, and because their wavelengths (21 cm) provide the clearest possible view, PAST may allow cosmologists to see back to just 100 million years after the Big Bang. The original proposal was for deploying about 1000 small antennae, but under the revised program a small prototype for PAST (an array of 2 x 3 antennae) will be constructed and deployed at the South Pole Station for one winter - to test the instrument design concept and the suitability of the South Pole as a site for very-high frequency cosmology.