Aaron Parsons
(UC Berkeley)
Abstract:
The Epoch of Reionization (EoR)--the rapid ionization of the majority
of the hydrogen in the universe by the light of the first stars and
supermassive black holes--is perhaps the last major phase transition
of our universe that remains unexplored. First-generation experiments
aiming to measure the 3-dimensional power spectrum of reionization
fluctuations via redshifted 21cm emission are currently underway.
While calibration, foreground removal, and obtaining the requisite
sensitivity are all challenging aspects of these efforts, early
results suggest that there any imminently be a detection that
significantly impacts our understanding of the dominant processes at
work during this era.
I will discuss current prospects for detecting the 21cm EoR signal in
the context of our recent progress with 16- and 32- antenna
deployments of the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of
Reionization (PAPER) in Green Bank, West Virginia, and the Karoo
Desert of South Africa. I will also discuss a novel technique for
accessing the 3-dimensional power spectrum of reionization, and the
impacts of systematics and foregrounds on recent measurements Finally,
I will present our current plans for the Hydrogen Epoch of
Reionization Array (HERA) that will supersede all current efforts and
enable the direct imaging of reionization structures.