Searching for Early Ionization with the Primeval Structure Telescope

TL;DR

The Primeval Structure Telescope aims to detect and analyze the epoch of reionization by mapping 21-cm hydrogen emission at high redshifts, providing insights into early universe structure and star formation.

Contribution

This paper introduces the design and deployment of the 10,000-antenna PaST array to image ionized structures during the epoch of reionization.

Findings

Over 2000 antennas installed

Aiming to produce 1 million pixel sky images

Mapping 21-cm emission from redshifts 6 to 25

Abstract

The Primeval Structure Telescope (PaST), will be used search for and study the era the of the first luminous objects, the epoch of reionization. The first stars ionized the gas around them producing a pattern of ionization that reflects the large scale density structure present at the time. The PaST array will be used in an attempt to sense and study this ionization, by mapping the brightness of 21-cm neutral hydrogen emission at redshifts from 6 to 25. This emission disappears on ionization, allowing the study of large scale structure and of star formation at this very early epoch. The 10,000 antenna PaST array will be used to image ionized structures by creating 1 million pixel images of the sky. The angular scales of the images to be produced span from 5 arc-minutes to 10 degrees. The array is currently under construction and over 2000 antennas have been installed.