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The PrimevAl Structure Telescope (PAST)

The PrimevAl Structure Telescope (PAST) aims to determine the birthdate of the first stars and extend cosmology deep into the Dark Ages. With its advanced capabilities, it provides insight into the early universe and the ionization history. Using VHF sky images and nuclear spin-flip transition of hydrogen, PAST offers a unique perspective on the universe's evolution. This program utilizes the South Pole as its location due to its favorable conditions for observation, making it an ideal site for this groundbreaking research.

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The PrimevAl Structure Telescope (PAST)

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  1. The PrimevAl Structure Telescope (PAST) • Determine the birthdate of the first stars • Extend Cosmology deep into the Dark Ages • How far does one have to go to get away from TV? NSF May 2004 Jeff Peterson Ue-Li Pen Xiang-Ping Wu Ergin Demir Danielle Little Jeremy Love Maria Dumanis

  2. Post-WMAP ionization history PAST

  3. Simulated VHF sky images Furlanetto, et.al2003

  4. Nuclear spin-flip transisiton of Hydrogen • Cross section small—but hydrogen is abundant 1420 MHz

  5. An object moving away from us is seen with REDshifted emission Hydrogen atom Moving away From us 700 MHz Hydrogen atom At rest 1420 MHz

  6. Foreground: Galactic Synchrotron 408 MHz

  7. Synchrotron Spectrum

  8. Prototype Tests, Ulastai, Xin Jiang, China

  9. PAST: medium fill factor array • Rough Parameters (100MHz) • Total antennae 10,000 • Effective Elements 20 • Effective area 150,000 m^2 • Sky temperature 300 K • Imaging field of view 10 sq deg • Angular resolution 5 arc minutes • Frequency Range 50 - 200 MHz • Redshift range 6 - 25 • Frequency resolution 100 kHz • Spatial resolution 6 Mpc • Mapping sensitivity 15 mK/sqrt(day)

  10. Timing: Solar minimum 2006

  11. Why South Pole? • No Television or FM stations, even via meteor scatter. • Ionosphere very transparent in winter • Very Quiet—no >20 MHz propagation. • Stable physical environment • 24hr/ day integrations • Infrastructure already installed • Internet…power…berthing…food…transport

  12. South Pole Riometer has been operating at 38 and 50 MHz for 10 years. South Pole is the quietest VHF site of any tested

  13. Program at Pole 2005 • Install up to 6 log periodics • Record Data from 0 to 200 MHz over winter 2005 • Study EMI, ionoshperic transmission, propagation of broadcast signals • Will the Martin A Pomerantz Observatory support this effort?

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