Colloquium on Mar. 23, 2023

Epoch of Reionization and its Cosmological Probes

Speaker: Yi Mao (THU)

Venue: SWIFAR Building 2111

Time: 16:00 PM, Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023

Abstract:

The epoch of reionization (EoR) is one of major phase changes in the cosmic history. In this talk, we will report our recent progresses in probing the EoR with HI 21cm intensity mapping and Lyman-alpha forest. (1) The 21cm data analysis involves a series of steps including RFI flagging, foreground subtraction, and scientific interpretation. Towards future SKA observations, we develop new machine-learning-based tools for RFI flagging and Bayesian inference of reionization model parameters, and propose a semi-blind PCA-based algorithm for foreground subtraction. (2) We propose to exploit the low-redshift (i.e. in the post-reionization era) Lyman-alpha forest power spectrum as a new window into cosmic reionization, and forecast the capability for constraining reionization parameters with DESI.