Probing Cosmic Dawn with End-to-End Forward Models

用端到端正向模型探索宇宙黎明

• 批准号: 2206766
• 负责人: Judd Bowman
• 金额: $ 44.56万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2206766&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Probing; Cosmic; Dawn; End; Forward

Direct observations of neutral hydrogen remain the most promising probes of "Cosmic Dawn". This project will combine state-of-the-art observations from two US-led experiments: the global Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization (EoR) Signal (EDGES), and the interferometric Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA). The analysis of HERA data will discriminate between exotic explanations of EDGES’ results, including early radio-loud black holes and novel dark matter candidates beyond the standard model. On a broader level, the proposed project will deliver a common framework for combining different datasets focusing on Cosmic Dawn, increasing both the reliability and power of physical interpretations. This project will take place at a university that has a strong commitment to serving students from non-traditional backgrounds such as returning, first generation, and veteran students and will involve students in the successful Research Experiences for Non-Traditional Undergraduates program.The epoch of Cosmic Dawn, spanning a redshift of 12 to 30, encompasses the gravitational collapse of dark matter halos and the birth of the first stars and galaxies, and has far-reaching implications for both galaxy evolution and cosmology. Focusing on frequencies of 50-100 MHz – within which the first evidence for the first stars has been reported by EDGES, this program will implement a fundamentally new paradigm to account for systematics by defining modular end-to-end statistical forward models. Such forward models are the only rigorous way to account for systematic residuals and their effect on posterior constraints of astrophysics and cosmology. These forward models will be applied – both in isolation, and jointly – to forthcoming data from the third-generation EDGES experiment and the first data from the completed HERA Phase II array, yielding the most stringent physical inference to date during this epoch.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

对中性氢的直接观测仍然是“宇宙黎明”最有希望的探测手段。这个项目将结合来自美国领导的两个实验的最先进的观测：检测全球再电离(EOR)信号(EDGE)的全球实验和再电离阵列(HERA)的干涉氢时代(HERA)。对HERA数据的分析将区分边缘结果的奇异解释，包括早期射电响亮的黑洞和超出标准模型的新的暗物质候选者。在更广泛的层面上，拟议的项目将提供一个共同的框架，将侧重于宇宙黎明的不同数据集结合在一起，提高物理解释的可靠性和能力。这个项目将在一所大学进行，该大学致力于为来自非传统背景的学生提供服务，如归国学生、第一代学生和退伍军人，并将让学生参与非传统本科生成功研究经验计划。宇宙黎明的时代，跨越12到30个红移，包括暗物质晕的引力坍塌和第一批恒星和星系的诞生，对星系进化和宇宙学都有深远的影响。专注于50-100 MHz的频率--EDGE已经报告了第一批恒星的第一个证据--这个计划将实施一种全新的范式，通过定义模块化的端到端统计正演模型来解释系统学。这样的正演模型是解释系统残差及其对天体物理学和宇宙学后验约束的影响的唯一严格方法。这些正向模型将单独和联合应用于第三代EDGE实验的即将到来的数据和完成的HERA第二阶段阵列的第一个数据，产生这个时代迄今最严格的物理推断。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。