Towards $21$-cm intensity mapping at $z=2.28$ with uGMRT using the tapered gridded estimator -- IV. Wideband analysis

Abstract

We present a Wideband Tapered Gridded Estimator (TGE), which incorporates baseline migration and variation of the primary beam pattern for neutral hydrogen (${\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}$) 21-cm intensity mapping (IM) with large frequency bandwidth radio-interferometric observations. Here we have analysed $394-494 \, {\rm MHz}$ $(z = 1.9 - 2.6)$ uGMRT data to estimate the Multi-frequency Angular Power Spectrum (MAPS) $C_\ell(\Delta\nu)$ from which we have removed the foregrounds using the polynomial fitting (PF) and Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) methods developed in our earlier work. Using the residual $C_\ell(\Delta\nu)$ to estimate the mean squared 21-cm brightness temperature fluctuation $\Delta^2(k)$, we find that this is consistent with $0 \pm 2 \sigma$ in several $k$ bins. The resulting $2\sigma$ upper limit $\Delta^2(k) < (4.68)^2 \, \rm{mK^2}$ at $k=0.219\,\rm{Mpc^{-1}}$ is nearly $15$ times tighter than earlier limits obtained from a smaller bandwidth ($24.4 \, {\rm MHz}$) of the same data. The $2\sigma$ upper limit $[\Omega_{{\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}} b_{{\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}}] < 1.01 \times 10^{-2}$ is within an order of magnitude of the value expected from independent estimates of the ${\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}$ mass density $\Omega_{{\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}}$ and the ${\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}$ bias $b_{{\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}}$. The techniques used here can be applied to other telescopes and frequencies, including $\sim 150 \, {\rm MHz}$ Epoch of Reionization observations.