MeerKAT directly detects faint hydrogen signal from the distant universe
Astronomers from the University of Manchester and the University of the Western Cape have directly detected an extremely faint radio signal from hydrogen gas billions of light-years away, opening a powerful new way to map the large-scale structure of the universe. Using South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, the international team measured radio emissions from neutral hydrogen dating back to a…
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking detection using the MeerKAT radio telescope, directly observing a faint radio signal from hydrogen gas billions of light-years away. This achievement, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, demonstrates a new technique called hydrogen intensity mapping that allows for the efficient study of the universe's large-scale structure.
MeerKAT's observations traced hydrogen emissions from two periods in cosmic history, approximately four to five billion years ago, corresponding to radio signals stretched to longer wavelengths as the universe expands. This direct detection, achieved without relying on cross-correlation with optical galaxy surveys, marks a significant milestone in the field of cosmology.
The researchers emphasize the challenges faced during the data analysis process, including isolating the faint signal from various sources of interference.
This breakthrough opens up new opportunities for studying the universe's evolution and the formation of galaxies. By analyzing hydrogen intensity mapping, astronomers can measure the collective signal from hydrogen across vast cosmic volumes, without needing to detect individual galaxies. The work also has implications for future cosmological surveys, particularly for the Square Kilometer Array Observatory, where hydrogen intensity mapping is expected to play a major role.
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