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Register a new userSimulations for 21 cm radiation lensing at EoR redshifts
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Alessandro Romeo
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We introduce simulations aimed at assessing how well weak gravitational lensing of 21cm radiation from the Epoch of Reionization ($z sim 8$) can be measured by an SKA-like radio telescope. A simulation pipeline has been implemented to study the performance of lensing reconstruction techniques. We show how well the lensing signal can be reconstructed using the three-dimensional quadratic lensing estimator in Fourier space assuming different survey strategies. The numerical code introduced in this work is capable of dealing with issues that can not be treated analytically such as the discreteness of visibility measurements and the inclusion of a realistic model for the antennae distribution. This paves the way for future numerical studies implementing more realistic reionization models, foreground subtraction schemes, and testing the performance of lensing estimators that take into account the non-Gaussian distribution of HI after reionization. If multiple frequency channels covering $z sim 7-11.6$ are combined, Phase 1 of SKA-Low should be able to obtain good quality images of the lensing potential with a total resolution of $sim 1.6$ arcmin. The SKA-Low Phase 2 should be capable of providing images with high-fidelity even using data from $zsim 7.7 - 8.3$. We perform tests aimed at evaluating the numerical implementation of the mapping reconstruction. We also discuss the possibility of measuring an accurate lensing power spectrum. Combining data from $z sim 7-11.6$ using the SKA2-Low telescope model, we find constraints comparable to sample variance in the range $L<1000$, even for survey areas as small as $25mbox{ deg}^2$.
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The EDGES collaboration has reported the detection of a global 21-cm signal with a plateau centered at 76 MHz (i.e., redshift 17.2), with an amplitude of 500^(+200)_(-500) mK. This anomalous measurement does not comport with standard cosmology, which can only accommodate an amplitude < 230 mK. Nevertheless, the line profiles redshift range (15 < z < 20) suggests a possible link to Pop III star formation and an implied evolution out of the `dark ages. Given this tension with the standard model, we here examine whether the observed 21-cm signal is instead consistent with the results of recent modeling based on the alternative Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker cosmology known as the R_h=ct universe, showing that--in this model--the CMB radiation might have been rethermalized by dust ejected into the IGM by the first-generation stars at redshift z < 16. We find that the requirements for this process to have occurred would have self-consistently established an equilibrium spin temperature T_s~3.4 K in the neutral hydrogen, via the irradiation of the IGM by deep penetrating X-rays emitted at the termination shocks of Pop III supernova remnants. Such a dust scenario has been strongly ruled out for the standard model, so the spin temperature (~3.3 K) inferred from the 21-cm absorption feature appears to be much more consistent with the R_h=ct profile than that implied by LCDM, for which adiabatic cooling would have established a spin temperature T_s(z=17.2)~6 K.
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Observations in the lowest MWA band between $75-100$ MHz have the potential to constrain the distribution of neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium at redshift $sim 13-17$. Using 15 hours of MWA data, we analyse systematics in this band such as radio-frequency interference (RFI), ionospheric and wide field effects. By updating the position of point sources, we mitigate the direction independent calibration error due to ionospheric offsets. Our calibration strategy is optimized for the lowest frequency bands by reducing the number of direction dependent calibrators and taking into account radio sources within a wider field of view. We remove data polluted by systematics based on the RFI occupancy and ionospheric conditions, finally selecting 5.5 hours of the cleanest data. Using these data, we obtain two sigma upper limits on the 21 cm power spectrum in the range of $0.1lessapprox k lessapprox 1 ~rm ~h~Mpc^{-1}$ and at $z$=14.2, 15.2 and 16.5, with the lowest limit being $6.3times 10^6 ~rm mK^2$ at $rm k=0.14 rm ~h~Mpc^{-1}$ and at $z=15.2$ with a possibility of a few % of signal loss due to direction independent calibration.
The amplitude of redshifted 21 cm fluctuations during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) is expected to show a distinctive rise and fall behavior with decreasing redshift as reionization proceeds. On large scales (k <~ 0.1 Mpc^{-1}) this can mostly be characterized by evolution in the product of the mean 21 cm brightness temperature and a bias factor, b_21(z). This quantity evolves in a distinctive way that can help in determining the average ionization history of the intergalactic medium (IGM) from upcoming 21 cm fluctuation data sets. Here we consider extracting <T_21> b_21(z) using a combination of future redshifted 21 cm and [CII] line-intensity mapping data sets. Our method exploits the dependence of the 21 cm-[CII]-[CII] cross-bispectrum on the shape of triangle configurations in Fourier space. This allows one to determine <T_21> b_21(z) yet, importantly, is less sensitive to foreground contamination than the 21 cm auto-spectrum, and so can provide a valuable cross-check. We compare the results of simulated bispectra with second-order perturbation theory: on large scales the perturbative estimate of <T_21> b_21(z) matches the true value to within 10% for <x_i> <~ 0.8. We consider the 21 cm auto-bispectrum and show that this statistic may also be used to extract the 21 cm bias factor. Finally, we discuss the survey requirements for measuring the cross-bispectrum. Although we focus on the 21 cm-[CII]-[CII] bispectrum during reionization, our method may be of broader interest and can be applied to any two fields throughout cosmic history.
The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) 21-cm signal is expected to become increasingly non-Gaussian as reionization proceeds. We have used semi-numerical simulations to study how this affects the error predictions for the EoR 21-cm power spectrum. We expect $SNR=sqrt{N_k}$ for a Gaussian random field where $N_k$ is the number of Fourier modes in each $k$ bin. We find that non-Gaussianity is important at high $SNR$ where it imposes an upper limit $[SNR]_l$. For a fixed volume $V$, it is not possible to achieve $SNR > [SNR]_l$ even if $N_k$ is increased. The value of $[SNR]_l$ falls as reionization proceeds, dropping from $sim 500$ at $bar{x}_{HI} = 0.8-0.9$ to $sim 10$ at $bar{x}_{HI} = 0.15 $ for a $[150.08, {rm Mpc}]^3$ simulation. We show that it is possible to interpret $[SNR]_l$ in terms of the trispectrum, and we expect $[SNR]_l propto sqrt{V}$ if the volume is increased. For $SNR ll [SNR]_l$ we find $SNR = sqrt{N_k}/A $ with $A sim 0.95 - 1.75$, roughly consistent with the Gaussian prediction. We present a fitting formula for the $SNR$ as a function of $N_k$, with two parameters $A$ and $[SNR]_l$ that have to be determined using simulations. Our results are relevant for predicting the sensitivity of different instruments to measure the EoR 21-cm power spectrum, which till date have been largely based on the Gaussian assumption.
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