The hyperfine transition of 3He+ as a probe of the intergalactic medium

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential of using the hyperfine transition of 3He+ to study the intergalactic medium, highlighting its anti-correlation with 21cm signals during reionization and its detectability at lower redshifts.

Contribution

It introduces the use of 3He+ hyperfine transition as a novel probe for the intergalactic medium, expanding observational tools beyond traditional methods.

Findings

Ionized regions during reionization show anti-correlation with 21cm maps.

Lyman-alpha blobs at lower redshifts produce detectable signals with future radio telescopes.

The hyperfine transition of 3He+ offers a new observational window into cosmic reionization and structure formation.

Abstract

We explore the prospects of using the hyperfine transition of 3He+ as a probe of the intergalactic medium. The emission signal from ionized regions during reionization is expected to be anti-correlated with 21cm maps. The predicted emission signal from Lyman-alpha blobs at lower redshifts is detectable with future radio observatories.