Thesis

Cosmology with the next generation of radio-telescopes

• Call:

  FCT / IDPASC call 2010

• Academic Year:

  2010 / 2011

• Domain:

  Cosmology

• Supervisor:

  Mario Santos

• Co-Supervisor:

• Institution:

  Instituto Superior Técnico

• Host Institution:

  Instituto Superior Técnico

• Abstract:

  Over the next few years a new generation of radio-telescopes will be in operation (such as LOFAR, MWA and ASKAP), culminating in the construction of SKA, the most powerful radio-telescope ever built. These new “software” radio-telescopes will be able to provide an exquisite data set for many different science applications and, in particular, promise to open a new window for Cosmology. The proposed PhD project plans to take advantage of this opportunity and explore the capabilities of these new instruments as cosmological probes. It will focus on three main themes: The 21cm signal at high redshifts (during the Epoch of Reionization) and the possibility of extracting cosmological information from this signal at the low radio-frequencies; the Weak Lensing effect through the use of radio galaxies and the corresponding dark energy constraints and the late-time Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect through the cross-correlation between the CMB and large scale fluctuations probed by radio galaxies, which, with the advent of Planck, also promises to be a great probe of the dark energy equation of state. This project will be part of a larger program that plans to explore the scientific capabilities and technical challenges of the next generation of radio-telescopes (see http://path2ska.org for more details). The student will interact extensively with other members of the network and in particular will have the opportunity to spend part of the PhD at UC Irvine under the supervision of prof. Asantha Cooray. A living allowance on top of the standard salary will be provided for that effect as well as a generous travel grant.