The CO-Mapping Array Pathfinder Survey - A New Window on Cosmic Evolution

首席研究员克利里和他的团队正在研究星系组合时期的星系，这一时期在宇宙几十亿年的时候达到了顶峰。由于大多数星系都很微弱，很难观测，天文学家经常观察个别明亮的星系，而这些星系并不代表整个星系。相反，研究小组使用了一种新技术，他们用望远镜拍摄了一系列低分辨率的“模糊”天空图像，这些望远镜是用来探测一氧化碳分子的无线电发射的。这些模糊的图像是许多星系中气体发出的射电辐射的总和，暗淡而明亮。对这些数据的仔细分析将帮助我们了解这些早期星系是如何通过气体转化为恒星而成长的，为未来进一步研究铺平道路。为了扩大参与，该团队正在与戈德斯通苹果谷射电望远镜和刘易斯教育研究中心合作，培训教师使用34米射电望远镜。老师和学生将在教室里实时观测无线电天空。此外，团队将针对他们的研究开展课堂活动。一氧化碳测绘阵列项目（COMAP）使用一氧化碳（CO）的线强度测绘（LIM）来追踪星系在宇宙时间内的分布和整体特性，追溯到再电离时代。该项目将完成正在进行的为期5年的12平方公里的调查。从z~3度检测CO信号。通过分析可以探测CO（1-0）功率谱和CO-星系交叉谱，从而探测到z=2.4-3.4处的星团幅度和宇宙分子气体丰度以及恒星形成历史的约束。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Principal Investigator Cleary and his team are studying galaxies during the epoch of galaxy assembly, which reached its peak when the Universe was a few billion years old. Because most galaxies are faint and difficult to observe, astronomers often look at individual bright galaxies, that are not representative of the whole. Instead, the team are using a new technique where they take a series of low resolution “blurry” images of the sky using telescopes that are designed to detect radio emission from carbon monoxide molecules. These blurry images are the sum of the radio emission from the gas in many galaxies, faint and bright. Careful analysis of the data will help us understand how these early galaxies grew through the conversion of gas into stars, paving the way for future studies looking even further back in time. To broaden participation the team are collaborating with the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope and the Lewis Center for Educational Research to train teachers in the use of a 34 m radio telescope. The teachers and their students will observe the radio sky in real-time from their classroom. In addition, the team will develop classroom activities specific to their research.The CO Mapping Array Project (COMAP) uses line intensity mapping (LIM) of carbon monoxide (CO) to trace the distribution and global properties of galaxies over cosmic time, back to the Epoch of Reionization. This project will complete the on-going 5-year survey of 12 sq. deg. to detect the CO signal from z~3. Analysis should lead to a detection of the CO(1-0) power spectrum and the CO-galaxy cross spectrum, leading to detections of the clustering amplitude and constraints on the cosmic molecular gas abundance and star formation history at z=2.4-3.4.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.