Precision Data Analysis Software for Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Measurements

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

One of the highest priority science questions in cosmology today is how hydrogen gas was "reionized" when the Universe was young (known as the Epoch of Reionization, or EoR). This reionization is predicted by the Big Bang theory of the evolution of the Universe, but little is known about how this physically happened. The investigator will further develop his Fast Holographic Deconvolution analysis software for the reduction of hydrogen gas EoR observations. Such observations have the potential to measure the rise and fall of the EoR power spectrum, placing meaningful constraints on models of reionization and early star formation. These constraints will have impact on the astrophysics community and could influence how James Webb Space Telescope observations are interpreted, constrain the optical depth of cosmic microwave background measurements, and aid our understanding of the early universe. This award will provide funding for a postdoctoral research associate to work on making the software available and usable by the general EoR community. The grant will enable an advanced software pipeline for the international radio cosmology community, and will provide sponsorship of a workshop to train the community in its use. Broader impacts of the work include training of a postdoc, and the engagement of under-represented groups toward careers in science, which has been a hallmark of Morales' group at U Washington for a number of years.