Description:
The periods before and during the formation of the first stars in the Universe, known respectively as the Dark Ages and Cosmic Dawn, remain almost completely unexplored. In the current paradigm of cosmology, the first stars formed within the first 100 million years of the Universe, and studying them through direct optical or infrared observations is not expected to be possible. Fortunately, the early Universe was filled with neutral hydrogen gas, out of which the first stars formed. Ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the first stars and galaxies left an imprint on the 21 cm neutral hydrogen radiation, which is a promising observational tool for characterizing the first stars and galaxies.
This project consists of deploying custom-built radio telescopes at the extremely remote McGill Arctic Research Station (MARS), in the Canadian High Arctic, to attempt to observe the faint signal emitted by the first stars. The main purpose of this project is to use these telescopes as prototypes for a future space mission and test them at MARS, which will be used as a space analogue site. In addition to conducting the sky measurements, other objectives of this project include the characterization of the soil and topography at MARS, and the accurate calibration of the radio instruments in the laboratory before and after the MARS deployments. Broader objectives include the hands-on training of students in all aspects of the project and the dissemination of results in conferences and scientific journals.
This project will enable, for the first time, testing of radio telescopes’ performance at a space analogue site. The expected outcomes include the verification of the performance of the telescopes, the experience gained by the team after operating these instruments at an extremely remote site, and the use of the sky measurements to test physical hypotheses about the first stars. The hands-on training received by the students will help them to strongly contribute to industry and academia. The measurement techniques to be demonstrated at MARS will go beyond the state-of-the-art in radio engineering and geophysics, and this project will promote Canadian participation in international partnerships.