Statistical 21-cm Signal Separation via Gaussian Process Regression Analysis

Understand

Detecting and characterizing the Epoch of Reionization and Cosmic Dawn via the redshifted 21-cm hyperfine line of neutral hydrogen will revolutionize the study of the formation of the first stars, galaxies, black holes and intergalactic gas in the infant Universe.

• The wealth of information encoded in this signal is, however, buried under foregrounds that are many orders of magnitude brighter.
• These must be removed accurately and precisely in order to reveal the feeble 21-cm signal.
• This requires not only the modeling of the Galactic and extra-galactic emission, but also of the often stochastic residuals due to imperfect calibration of the data caused by ionospheric and instrumental distortions.