Collaborative Research: The CO Mapping Array Pathfinder

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this program is to commission a polarization-sensitive radio receiver and build a digital backend for the CO Mapping Array Pathfinder (COMAP) experiment, as well as observe for two years using this equipment on a 10m-diameter radio telescope. The COMAP program is part of a much larger effort by the astronomical community to understand the origin and evolution of the universe and the formation of stars and galaxies. Broader impacts of the work include mentoring of undergraduates and research training of graduate students in instrumentation development. The COMAP team will communicate their results via public lectures, web pages, and activities at the telescope. Students and early-career researchers will be trained in a variety of cutting edge techniques in radio frequency design, technology development and analysis of large data sets. Personnel funded by this proposal will participate in an education and outreach program at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, bringing the excitement of scientific research to a diverse community that includes a Native American population. COMAP aims to measure emission from both the CO J=1-0 transition at redshifts 2.4 < z < 2.8 and the J=2-1 transition at 5.8 < z < 6.7, probing the 3D power spectrum of CO, which acts as a tracer for star formation.