Characterizing the Stars and Galaxies that Drove Reionization

亚当·比尔兹利被授予美国国家科学基金会天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，负责亚利桑那州立大学的研究和教育项目。比尔兹利将分析来自大型射电望远镜阵列的数据，以探测宇宙中第一批恒星形成时的氢原子。研究宇宙历史中的那个时期很重要，因为它影响了星系和黑洞等天体的形成。除了这项研究，比尔兹利还将培训大学生设计一种适用于高中和大学教室的低成本射电望远镜，并将在这些学生的参与下开展射电天文学的公共宣传。比尔兹利提议探测再电离纪元(EoR)中高度红移的21厘米星际氢线。通过为再电离阵列实验的氢纪元开发基于成像的分析管道，比尔兹利试图获得第一个21厘米的EOR功率谱检测，从而约束再电离模型。比尔兹利还将通过将21厘米的测量与红外星系测量相结合来识别其他再电离探测器。对于他工作的教育部分，比尔兹利将培训本科生更新甚小射电望远镜(VSRT)计划。他还将举办天文学外展活动，介绍学生与VSRT的工作。

Adam Beardsley is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at Arizona State University. Beardsley will analyze data from large arrays of radio telescopes to detect hydrogen atoms from a time when the first stars formed in the Universe. Studying that period in cosmic history is important because it influenced the formation of objects such as galaxies and black holes. Alongside this research, Beardsley will train college students to design a low-cost radio telescope adaptable to high school and college classrooms, and he will conduct public outreach about radio astronomy with participation from these students.Beardsley proposes to detect the highly redshifted 21-cm line of intergalactic hydrogen from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). By developing an imaging-based analysis pipeline for the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array experiment, Beardsley seeks to obtain the first 21-cm EoR power spectrum detection and thus constrain models of reionization. Beardsley will also identify other probes of reionization by combining the 21-cm measurements with infrared galaxy surveys. For the educational component of his work, Beardsley will train undergraduate students to update the Very Small Radio Telescope (VSRT) program. He will also conduct astronomy outreach events featuring the students' work with the VSRT.