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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 2. |
- Asad, K. M. B., et al.
(author)
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Polarization leakage in epoch of reionization windows - I. Low Frequency Array observations of the 3C196 field
- 2015
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 451:4, s. 3709-3727
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Detection of the 21-cm signal coming from the epoch of reionization (EoR) is challenging especially because, even after removing the foregrounds, the residual Stokes I maps contain leakage from polarized emission that can mimic the signal. Here, we discuss the instrumental polarization of Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and present realistic simulations of the leakages between Stokes parameters. From the LOFAR observations of polarized emission in the 3C196 field, we have quantified the level of polarization leakage caused by the nominal model beam of LOFAR, and compared it with the EoR signal using power spectrum analysis. We found that at 134-166 MHz, within the central 4A degrees of the field the (Q, U) -> I leakage power is lower than the EoR signal at k < 0.3 Mpc(-1). The leakage was found to be localized around a Faraday depth of 0, and the rms of the leakage as a fraction of the rms of the polarized emission was shown to vary between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent, both of which could be utilized in the removal of leakage. Moreover, we could define an 'EoR window' in terms of the polarization leakage in the cylindrical power spectrum above the point spread function (PSF)-induced wedge and below k(ayen) similar to 0.5 Mpc(-1), and the window extended up to k(ayen) similar to 1 Mpc(-1) at all k(aSyen) when 70 per cent of the leakage had been removed. These LOFAR results show that even a modest polarimetric calibration over a field of view of a parts per thousand(2) 4A degrees in the future arrays like Square Kilometre Array will ensure that the polarization leakage remains well below the expected EoR signal at the scales of 0.02-1 Mpc(-1).
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| 3. |
- Binggeli, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Lyman continuum leakage versus quenching with the James Webb Space Telescope : the spectral signatures of quenched star formation activity in reionization-epoch galaxies
- 2018
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 479:1, s. 368-376
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we study the effects of a recent drop in star formation rate (SFR) on the spectra of epoch of reionization (EoR) galaxies, and the resulting degeneracy with the spectral features produced by extreme Lyman continuum leakage. In order to study these effects in the wavelength range relevant for the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), we utilize synthetic spectra of simulated EoR galaxies from cosmological simulations together with synthetic spectra of partially quenched mock galaxies. We find that rapid declines in the SFR of EoR galaxies could seriously affect the applicability of methods that utilize the equivalent width of Balmer lines and the ultraviolet spectral slope to assess the escape fraction of EoR galaxies. In order to determine if the aforementioned degeneracy can be avoided by using the overall shape of the spectrum, we generate mock NIRCam observations and utilize a classification algorithm to identify galaxies that have undergone quenching. We find that while there are problematic cases, JWST/NIRCam or NIRSpec should be able to reliably identify galaxies with redshifts z similar to 7 that have experienced a significant decrease in the SFR (by a factor of 10-100) in the past 50-100 Myr with a success rate greater than or similar to 85 per cent. We also find that uncertainties in the dust-reddening effects on EoR galaxies significantly affect the performance of the results of the classification algorithm. We argue that studies that aim to characterize the dust extinction law most representative in the EoR would be extremely useful.
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| 4. |
- Ciardi, B., et al.
(author)
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Simulating the 21 cm forest detectable with LOFAR and SKA in the spectra of high-z GRBs
- 2015
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 453:1, s. 101-105
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigate the feasibility of detecting 21 cm absorption features in the afterglow spectra of high redshift long Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). This is done employing simulations of cosmic reionization, together with estimates of the GRB radio afterglow flux and the instrumental characteristics of the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR). We find that absorption features could be marginally (with a S/N larger than a few) detected by LOFAR at z greater than or similar to 7 if the GRB is a highly energetic event originating from Pop III stars, while the detection would be easier if the noise were reduced by one order of magnitude, i.e. similar to what is expected for the first phase of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA1-low). On the other hand, more standard GRBs are too dim to be detected even with ten times the sensitivity of SKA1-low, and only in the most optimistic case can a S/N larger than a few be reached at z greater than or similar to 9.
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| 5. |
- Jelić, V., et al.
(author)
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Linear polarization structures in LOFAR observations of the interstellar medium in the 3C 196 field
- 2015
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 583
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: This study aims to characterize linear polarization structures in LOFAR observations of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the 3C 196 field, one of the primary fields of the LOFAR-Epoch of Reionization key science project.Methods: We have used the high band antennas (HBA) of LOFAR to image this region and rotation measure (RM) synthesis to unravel the distribution of polarized structures in Faraday depth.Results: The brightness temperature of the detected Galactic emission is 5-15 K in polarized intensity and covers the range from -3 to +8 rad m(-2) in Faraday depth. The most interesting morphological feature is a strikingly straight filament at a Faraday depth of +0.5 rad m(-2) running from north to south, right through the centre of the field and parallel to the Galactic plane. There is also an interesting system of linear depolarization canals conspicuous in an image showing the peaks of Faraday spectra. We used the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) at 350 MHz to image the same region. For the first time, we see some common morphology in the RM cubes made at 150 and 350 MHz. There is no indication of diffuse emission in total intensity in the interferometric data, in line with results at higher frequencies and previous LOFAR observations. Based on our results, we determined physical parameters of the ISM and proposed a simple model that may explain the observed distribution of the intervening magneto-ionic medium.Conclusions: The mean line-of-sight magnetic field component, B-parallel to, is determined to be 0.3 +/- 0.1 mu G and its spatial variation across the 3C 196 field is 0.1 mu G. The filamentary structure is probably an ionized filament in the ISM, located somewhere within the Local Bubble. This filamentary structure shows an excess in thermal electron density (n(e)B(parallel to) > 6.2 cm(-3) mu G) compared to its surroundings.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Jensen, Hannes, 1985-
(author)
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Simulating observational probes of reionization
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The time in the history of the Universe when the first stars and galaxies formed and ionized the gas in the intergalactic medium is known as the Epoch of Reionization. This transformative time period, which took place within the first billion years after the Big Bang, is still relatively unexplored due to the significant difficulties associated with observing so far back in time. The theme of this thesis is tying together existing (mostly indirect) and upcoming observations with simulations.Papers I and II deal with Lyα emitting galaxies. The Lyα emission line is very sensitive to neutral hydrogen, which was plentiful during the Epoch of Reionization. Therefore, observations of distant Lyα galaxies may be used to indirectly tell us something about when and how reionization took place. Properly interpreting the observations is, however, far from straightforward. In Paper I we develop a new method for combining large, low-resolution simulations of the intergalactic medium with small, high-resolution simulations of individual galaxies. We use this method to reproduce existing observations. In Paper II we use the same method to make predictions for future observations.Another observational probe of the EoR is the 21-cm emission line from neutral hydrogen. This line is the most promising probe for directly studying the neutral gas in the early Universe, and several radio telescopes are currently gathering data to observe it. The 21-cm signal is affected by a multitude of cosmological and astrophysical effects, all of which need to be understood in order to interpret the upcoming observations. One such effect is the non-random shifts in redshifts caused by the peculiar velocity of matter flowing towards higher-density regions. This effect, known as redshift space distortions, is the topic of papers III and IV, while paper V deals with another observational effect called the lightcone effect.
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| 8. |
- Jensen, Hannes, et al.
(author)
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The wedge bias in reionization 21-cm power spectrum measurements
- 2016
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 456:1, s. 66-70
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A proposed method for dealing with foreground emission in upcoming 21-cm observations from the epoch of reionization is to limit observations to an uncontaminated window in Fourier space. Foreground emission can be avoided in this way, since it is limited to a wedge-shaped region in k(parallel to), k(perpendicular to) space. However, the power spectrum is anisotropic owing to redshift-space distortions from peculiar velocities. Consequently, the 21-cm power spectrum measured in the foreground avoidance window - which samples only a limited range of angles close to the line-of-sight direction - differs from the full redshift-space spherically averaged power spectrum which requires an average over all angles. In this paper, we calculate the magnitude of this 'wedge bias' for the first time. We find that the bias amplifies the difference between the real-space and redshift-space power spectra. The bias is strongest at high redshifts, where measurements using foreground avoidance will overestimate the redshift-space power spectrum by around 100 per cent, possibly obscuring the distinctive rise and fall signature that is anticipated for the spherically averaged 21-cm power spectrum. In the later stages of reionization, the bias becomes negative, and smaller in magnitude (less than or similar to 20 per cent).
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| 9. |
- Majumdar, Suman, et al.
(author)
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Effects of the sources of reionization on 21-cm redshift-space distortions
- 2016
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 456:2, s. 2080-2094
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The observed 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization will be distorted along the line of sight by the peculiar velocities of matter particles. These redshift-space distortions will affect the contrast in the signal and will also make it anisotropic. This anisotropy contains information about the cross-correlation between the matter density field and the neutral hydrogen field, and could thus potentially be used to extract information about the sources of reionization. In this paper, we study a collection of simulated reionization scenarios assuming different models for the sources of reionization. We show that the 21 cm anisotropy is best measured by the quadrupole moment of the power spectrum. We find that, unless the properties of the reionization sources are extreme in some way, the quadrupole moment evolves very predictably as a function of global neutral fraction. This predictability implies that redshift-space distortions are not a very sensitive tool for distinguishing between reionization sources. However, the quadrupole moment can be used as a model-independent probe for constraining the reionization history. We show that such measurements can be done to some extent by first-generation instruments such as LOFAR, while the SKA should be able to measure the reionization history using the quadrupole moment of the power spectrum to great accuracy.
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| 10. |
- Vedantham, H. K., et al.
(author)
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Lunar occultation of the diffuse radio sky : LOFAR measurements between 35 and 80 MHz
- 2015
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 450, s. 2291-2305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present radio observations of the Moon between 35 and 80 MHz to demonstrate a novel technique of interferometrically measuring large-scale diffuse emission extending far beyond the primary beam (global signal) for the first time. In particular, we show that (i) the Moon appears as a negative-flux source at frequencies 35 < ν < 80 MHz since it is ‘colder’ than the diffuse Galactic background it occults, (ii) using the (negative) flux of the lunar disc, we can reconstruct the spectrum of the diffuse Galactic emission with the lunar thermal emission as a reference, and (iii) that reflected RFI (radio-frequency interference) is concentrated at the centre of the lunar disc due to specular nature of reflection, and can be independently measured. Our RFI measurements show that (i) Moon-based Cosmic Dawn experiments must design for an Earth-isolation of better than 80 dB to achieve an RFI temperature <1 mK, (ii) Moon-reflected RFI contributes to a dipole temperature less than 20 mK for Earth-based Cosmic Dawn experiments, (iii) man-made satellite-reflected RFI temperature exceeds 20 mK if the aggregate scattering cross-section of visible satellites exceeds 175 m2 at 800 km height, or 15 m2 at 400 km height. Currently, our diffuse background spectrum is limited by sidelobe confusion on short baselines (10–15 per cent level). Further refinement of our technique may yield constraints on the redshifted global 21 cm signal from Cosmic Dawn (40 > z > 12) and the Epoch of Reionization (12 > z > 5).
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