17–21 Aug 2009
AlbaNova University Centre
Europe/Stockholm timezone

Constraining reionization using 21 cm experiments in combination with CMB and Lyman alpha forest data

21 Aug 2009, 10:00
30m
FD 5 (AlbaNova University Centre)

FD 5

AlbaNova University Centre

Roslagstullsbacken 21, Stockholm
Cosmic Microwave Background and the epoch of reionization

Speaker

Dr Jonathan Pritchard (Harvard)

Description

It is hoped that 21 cm experiments will measure the neutral fraction at redshifts z=6-10 in the near future. We look at what current constraints from the CMB and the Lyman alpha forest tell us about reionization. The existing data is used to constrain different parametrizations for the sources that drive reionization via a likelihood analysis. In this talk, I will discuss how this allows us to quantify our uncertainty in the ionization history. The resulting histories are then used to make predictions for what 21 cm experiments will observe and how their observations will feed back on our understanding of reionization.

Primary author

Dr Jonathan Pritchard (Harvard)

Co-authors

Abraham Loeb (Harvard) Stuart Wyithe (Melbourne)

Presentation materials