Cosmology with HI

TL;DR

This paper discusses how neutral hydrogen (HI) can be used as a powerful tool for precision cosmology, leveraging its spectral lines to study the early Universe and test fundamental physics theories.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the formalism, recent observational results, and future prospects of using HI for cosmological research.

Findings

Detection of the 21-cm signal from dark ages and Cosmic Dawn

Recent results from radio telescopes on HI signals

Prospects for future cosmological studies using HI

Abstract

Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the Universe, has traditionally been used to investigate astrophysical processes within and around our own Galaxy. In its chemically neutral, atomic form (known as HI in the astronomical literature), it has tremendous potential today as a tool for precision cosmology and testing theories of fundamental physics. Cosmological HI is accessed through two of its main spectral lines: the Lyman-$\alpha$, with a rest wavelength of 1216 $\r{A}$, in the ultraviolet and visible part of the spectrum, and the 21-cm, which manifests in the radio frequency band. A plethora of radio telescopes worldwide are focused on detecting the faint 21 cm signal from the dark ages and Cosmic Dawn, some of the earliest epochs of the Universe. This chapter will describe the formalism for doing cosmology with HI, the recent results from the facilities and their prospects for studying the evolution of the Universe.