Matching Items (2)
Filtering by

Clear all filters

156309-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has provided precise information on the evolution of the Universe and the current cosmological paradigm. The CMB has not yet provided definitive information on the origin and strength of any primordial magnetic fields or how they affect the presence of magnetic fields observed throughout the

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has provided precise information on the evolution of the Universe and the current cosmological paradigm. The CMB has not yet provided definitive information on the origin and strength of any primordial magnetic fields or how they affect the presence of magnetic fields observed throughout the cosmos. This work outlines an alternative method to investigating and identifying the presence of cosmic magnetic fields. This method searches for Faraday Rotation (FR) and specifically uses polarized CMB photons as back-light. I find that current generation CMB experiments may be not sensitive enough to detect FR but next generation experiments should be able to make highly significant detections. Identifying FR with the CMB will provide information on the component of magnetic fields along the line of sight of observation.

The 21cm emission from the hyperfine splitting of neutral Hydrogen in the early universe is predicted to provide precise information about the formation and evolution of cosmic structure, complementing the wealth of knowledge gained from the CMB.

21cm cosmology is a relatively new field, and precise measurements of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) have not yet been achieved. In this work I present 2σ upper limits on the power spectrum of 21cm fluctuations (Δ²(k)) probed at the cosmological wave number k from the Donald C. Backer Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization (PAPER) 64 element deployment. I find upper limits on Δ²(k) in the range 0.3 < k < 0.6 h/Mpc to be (650 mK)², (450 mK)², (390 mK)², (250 mK)², (280mK)², (250 mK)² at redshifts z = 10.87, 9.93, 8.91, 8.37, 8.13 and 7.48 respectively

Building on the power spectrum analysis, I identify a major limiting factor in detecting the 21cm power spectrum.

This work is concluded by outlining a metric to evaluate the predisposition of redshifted 21cm interferometers to foreground contamination in power spectrum estimation. This will help inform the construction of future arrays and enable high fidelity imaging and

cross-correlation analysis with other high redshift cosmic probes like the CMB and other upcoming all sky surveys. I find future

arrays with uniform (u,v) coverage and small spectral evolution of their response in the (u,v,f) cube can minimize foreground leakage while pursuing 21cm imaging.
ContributorsKolopanis, Matthew John (Author) / Bowman, Judd (Thesis advisor) / Mauskopf, Philip (Thesis advisor) / Lunardini, Cecilia (Committee member) / Chamberlin, Ralph (Committee member) / Vachaspati, Tanmay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
171786-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
The distribution of galaxies traces the structure of underlying dark matter, and carries signatures of both the cosmology that evolved the universe as well as details of how galaxies interact with their environment and each other. There are many ways to measure the clustering of galaxies, each with unique strengths,

The distribution of galaxies traces the structure of underlying dark matter, and carries signatures of both the cosmology that evolved the universe as well as details of how galaxies interact with their environment and each other. There are many ways to measure the clustering of galaxies, each with unique strengths, uses, theoretical background, and connection to other physical concepts. One uncommon clustering statistic is the Void Probability Function (VPF): it simply asks, how likely is a circle/sphere of a given size to be empty in your galaxy sample? Simple and efficient to calculate, the VPF is tied to all higher order volume-averaged correlation functions as the 0$^{\text{th}}$ moment of count-in-cells, and encodes information from higher order clustering that the robust two-point correlation function cannot always capture. Using simulations of Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies across either redshift history or the epoch of reionization, this work asks: how powerful is the VPF itself? When can and should it be used for galaxy clustering? What unique constraints or guidelines can it give for the pacing of reionization, in the Lyman-$\alpha$ Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) narrowband survey or across the Roman Space Telescope grism? This work provides practical guidelines for creating and carrying out clustering studies using the the VPF, and motivates the use of the VPF for reionization. The VPF of LAEs can complement LAGER constraints for the end of reionization, and thoroughly inform the timing and pace of reionization with Roman.
ContributorsPerez, Lucia Alexandra (Author) / Malhotra, Sangeeta (Thesis advisor) / Butler, Nathaniel (Thesis advisor) / Groppi, Christopher (Committee member) / Scannapieco, Evan (Committee member) / Rhoads, James E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022