Fundamental Physics with the Square Kilometre Array

TL;DR

The paper discusses how the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a large radio telescope, will significantly advance our understanding of fundamental physics topics such as cosmic dawn, gravity, cosmology, and dark matter through its unprecedented sensitivity and survey capabilities.

Contribution

This work reviews the potential of the SKA as a groundbreaking facility for studying fundamental physics, highlighting four key research areas and expected major contributions.

Findings

SKA will provide new insights into cosmic dawn and reionisation.

It will enable tests of gravity and gravitational waves.

The telescope will advance understanding of dark energy and dark matter.

Abstract

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a planned large radio interferometer designed to operate over a wide range of frequencies, and with an order of magnitude greater sensitivity and survey speed than any current radio telescope. The SKA will address many important topics in astronomy, ranging from planet formation to distant galaxies. However, in this work, we consider the perspective of the SKA as a facility for studying physics. We review four areas in which the SKA is expected to make major contributions to our understanding of fundamental physics: cosmic dawn and reionisation; gravity and gravitational radiation; cosmology and dark energy; and dark matter and astroparticle physics. These discussions demonstrate that the SKA will be a spectacular physics machine, which will provide many new breakthroughs and novel insights on matter, energy and spacetime.