Events in Physics

Mapping reionization with the SKA

A new generation of radio interferometers such as LOFAR, MWA, PAPER are attempting to detect the 21 cm emission from neutral hydrogen from the epoch of reionization. The 21 cm signal arises from a complex interplay of X-ray heating, Lyman-alpha scattering, and UV ionisation as light from early galaxies illuminates the Universe. Over the next decade, this 21cm signal should be mapped out by the Square Kilometre Array, opening a new window onto the time of the first galaxies. In this talk, I will discuss the physics of this signal and the insights into the first galaxies that mapping the 21cm with the SKA might bring.