Constraining the Astrophysics of the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization with the SKA

Andrei Mesinger, Andrea Ferrara, Bradley Greig, Ilian Iliev, Garrelt Mellema, Jonathan Pritchard, Mario G. Santos, for the SKA EoR/CD Science Team

Published 2015-01-16Version 1

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will offer an unprecedented view onto the early Universe, using interferometric observations of the redshifted 21cm line. The 21cm line probes the thermal and ionization state of the cosmic gas, which is governed by the birth and evolution of the first structures in our Universe. Here we show how the evolution of the 21cm signal will allow us to study when the first generations of galaxies appeared, what were their properties, and what was the structure of the intergalactic medium. We highlight qualitative trends which will offer robust insights into the early Universe.