Speaker
Description
I will show the Polar simulation suite developed by the LOFAR Epoch of Reionisation Key Science Project team. The suite consists of simulations with different cosmological and astrophysical parameters that are tuned to match the UV luminosity function of galaxies at redshifts 9 and 10. I showcase that even with an eventual detection of the 21-cm signal at these redshifts, the parameter space that we need to explore for viable models of the Universe needs to be significantly expanded. Additionally, I highlight the necessity to boost resolutions of simulations beyond what is traditionally feasible as we currently don't include dwarf galaxies at high redshifts. This severely limits the utility of simulations at high redshifts. To tackle this, I will talk about resolution-boosting algorithms that are temporally consistent and the plans for developing them further. These simulations shall be used for inference modelling by LOFAR, and eventually by SKA too. Additionally, the LOFAR team uses it for building templates for the 21-cm signal power spectrum using Machine Learning and then using the template to look for the signal in observational data.
| What is your career stage? | Graduate researcher (pre PhD) |
|---|---|
| Which telescopes do you use / are you affiliated with? | LOFAR, SKA |
