arXiv subjects

Somnath Bharadwaj

Publications and source records attributed to Somnath Bharadwaj.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

The Tracking Tapered Gridded Estimator for the 21-cm power spectrum from MWA drift scan observations I: Validation and preliminary results

Drift scan observations provide the broad sky coverage and instrumental stability needed to measure the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) 21-cm signal. In such observations, the telescope's pointing center (PC) moves continuously on the sky. The Tracking Tapered Gridded Estimator (TTGE) combines observations from different PC to estimate $P(k_{\perp}, k_{\parallel})$ the 21-cm power spectrum, centered on a tracking center (TC) which remains fixed on the sky. The tapering further restricts the sky response to a small angular region around TC, thereby mitigating wide-field foregrounds. Here we consider $154.2 \, {\rm MHz}$ ($z = 8.2$) Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) drift scan observations. The periodic pattern of flagged channels, present in MWA data, is known to introduce artefacts which pose a challenge for estimating $P(k_{\perp}, k_{\parallel})$. We demonstrate that the TTGE is able to recover $P(k_{\perp}, k_{\parallel})$ without any artefacts, and estimate $P(k)$ within $5 \%$ accuracy over a large $k$-range. We also present preliminary results for a single PC, combining 9 nights of observation $(17 \, {\rm min}$ total). We find that $P(k_{\perp}, k_{\parallel})$ exhibits streaks at a fixed interval of $k_{\parallel}=0.29 \, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$, which matches $Δν_{\rm per}=1.28 \, {\rm MHz}$ that is the period of the flagged channels. The streaks are not as pronounced at larger $k_{\parallel}$, and in some cases they do not appear to extend across the entire $k_{\perp}$ range. The rectangular region $0.05 \leq k_{\perp} \leq 0.16 \, {\rm Mpc^{-1}}$ and $0.9 \leq k_{\parallel} \leq 4.6 \, {\rm Mpc^{-1}}$ is found to be relatively free of foreground contamination and artefacts, and we have used this to place the $2σ$ upper limit $Δ^2(k) < (1.85 \times 10^4)^2\, {\rm mK^2}$ on the EoR 21-cm mean squared brightness temperature fluctuations at $k=1 \,{\rm Mpc}^{-1}$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

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

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) $C_\ell(Δν)$ 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 $C_\ell(Δν)$ to estimate the mean squared 21-cm brightness temperature fluctuation $Δ^2(k)$, we find that this is consistent with $0 \pm 2 σ$ in several $k$ bins. The resulting $2σ$ upper limit $Δ^2(k) < (4.68)^2 \, \rm{mK^2}$ 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 $2σ$ upper limit $[Ω_{\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}} b_{\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}}] < 1.01 \times 10^{-2}$ 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 $Ω_{\rm H\hspace{0.5mm}{\scriptsize {\rm I}}}$ 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.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

The monopole and quadrupole moments of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) 21-cm bispectrum

We study the monopole ($\bar{B}^0_0$) and quadrupole ($\bar{B}^0_2$) moments of the 21-cm bispectrum (BS) from EoR simulations and present results for squeezed and stretched triangles. Both $\bar{B}^0_0$ and $\bar{B}^0_2$ are positive at the early stage of EoR where the mean neutral hydrogen (HI) density fraction $\bar{x}_{\rm HI} \approx 0.99$. The subsequent evolution of $\bar{B}^0_0$ and $\bar{B}^0_2$ at large and intermediate scales $(k=0.29$ and $0.56 \, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$ respectively) is punctuated by two sign changes which mark transitions in the HI distribution. The first sign flip where $\bar{B}^0_0$ becomes negative occurs in the intermediate stages of EoR $(\bar{x}_{\rm HI} > 0.5)$, at large scale first followed by the intermediate scale. This marks the emergence of distinct ionized bubbles in the neutral background. $\bar{B}^0_2$ is relatively less affected by this transition, and it mostly remains positive even when $\bar{B}^0_0$ becomes negative. The second sign flip, which affects both $\bar{B}^0_0$ and $\bar{B}^0_2$, occurs at the late stage of EoR $(\bar{x}_{\rm HI} < 0.5)$. This marks a transition in the topology of the HI distribution, after which we have distinct HI islands in an ionized background. This causes $\bar{B}^0_0$ to become positive. The negative $\bar{B}^0_2$ is a definite indication that the HI islands survive only in under-dense regions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Towards $21$-cm intensity mapping at $z=2.28$ with uGMRT using the tapered gridded estimator III: Foreground removal

Neutral hydrogen (HI) $21$-cm intensity mapping (IM) is a promising probe of the large-scale structures in the Universe. However, a few orders of magnitude brighter foregrounds obscure the IM signal. Here we use the Tapered Gridded Estimator (TGE) to estimate the multi-frequency angular power spectrum (MAPS) $C_{\ell}(Δν)$ from a $24.4\,\rm{MHz}$ bandwidth uGMRT Band $3$ data at $432.8\,\rm{MHz}$. In $C_{\ell}(Δν)$ foregrounds remain correlated across the entire $Δν$ range, whereas the $21$-cm signal is localized within $Δν\le[Δν]$ (typically $0.5-1\,\rm{MHz}$). Assuming the range $Δν>[Δν]$ to have minimal $21$-cm signal, we use $C_{\ell}(Δν)$ in this range to model the foregrounds. This foreground model is extrapolated to $Δν\leq[Δν]$, and subtracted from the measured $C_{\ell}(Δν)$. The residual $[C_{\ell}(Δν)]_{\rm res}$ in the range $Δν\le[Δν]$ is used to constrain the $21$-cm signal, compensating for the signal loss from foreground subtraction. $[C_{\ell}(Δν)]_{\rm{res}}$ is found to be noise-dominated without any trace of foregrounds. Using $[C_{\ell}(Δν)]_{\rm res}$ we constrain the $21$-cm brightness temperature fluctuations $Δ^2(k)$, and obtain the $2σ$ upper limit $Δ_{\rm UL}^2(k)\leq(18.07)^2\,\rm{mK^2}$ at $k=0.247\,\rm{Mpc}^{-1}$. We further obtain the $2σ$ upper limit $ [Ω_{\rm HI}b_{\rm HI}]_{\rm UL}\leq0.022$ where $Ω_{\rm HI}$ and $b_{\rm HI}$ are the comoving HI density and bias parameters respectively. Although the upper limit is nearly $10$ times larger than the expected $21$-cm signal, it is $3$ times tighter over previous works using foreground avoidance on the same data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Probing IGM Physics during Cosmic Dawn using the Redshifted 21-cm Bispectrum

With the advent of the first luminous sources at Cosmic Dawn (CD), the redshifted 21-cm signal, from the neutral hydrogen in the Inter-Galactic Medium (IGM), is predicted to undergo a transition from absorption to emission against the CMB. Using simulations, we show that the redshift evolution of the sign and the magnitude of the 21-cm bispectrum can disentangle the contributions from Ly$α$ coupling and X-ray heating of the IGM, the two most dominant processes which drive this transition. This opens a new avenue to probe the first luminous sources and the IGM physics at CD.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Towards $21$-cm intensity mapping at $z=2.28$ with uGMRT using the tapered gridded estimator II: Cross-polarization power spectrum

Neutral hydrogen ($\rm{HI}$) $21$-cm intensity mapping (IM) offers an efficient technique for mapping the large-scale structures in the universe. We introduce the 'Cross' Tapered Gridded Estimator (Cross TGE), which cross-correlates two cross-polarizations (RR and LL) to estimate the multi-frequency angular power spectrum (MAPS) $C_{\ell}(Δν)$. We expect this to mitigate several effects like noise bias, calibration errors etc., which affect the 'Total' TGE which combines the two polarizations. Here we apply the Cross TGE on a $24.4 \,\rm{MHz}$ bandwidth uGMRT Band $3$ data centred at $432.8 \,\rm{MHz}$ aiming $\rm{HI}$ IM at $z=2.28$. The measured $C_{\ell}(Δν)$ is modelled to yield maximum likelihood estimates of the foregrounds and the spherical power spectrum $P(k)$ in several $k$ bins. Considering the mean squared brightness temperature fluctuations, we report a $2σ$ upper limit $Δ_{UL}^{2}(k) \le (58.67)^{2} \, {\rm mK}^{2}$ at $k=0.804 \, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$ which is a factor of $5.2$ improvement on our previous estimate based on the Total TGE. Assuming that the $\rm{HI}$ traces the underlying matter distribution, we have modelled $C_{\ell}(Δν)$ to simultaneously estimate the foregrounds and $[Ω_{\rm{HI}} b_{\rm{HI}}] $ where $Ω_{\rm{HI}}$ and $b_{\rm{HI}}$ are the $\rm{HI}$ density and linear bias parameters respectively. We obtain a best fit value of $[Ω_{\rm{HI}}b_{\rm{HI}}]^2 = 7.51\times 10^{-4} \pm 1.47\times 10^{-3}$ which is consistent with noise. Although the $2σ$ upper limit $[Ω_{\rm{HI}}b_{\rm{HI}}]_{UL} \leq 0.061$ is $\sim 50$ times larger than the expected value, this is a considerable improvement over earlier works at this redshift.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

The Tracking Tapered Gridded Estimator (TTGE) for the power spectrum from drift scan observations

Intensity mapping with the redshifted 21-cm line is an emerging tool in cosmology. Drift scan observations, where the antennas are fixed to the ground and the telescope's pointing center (PC) changes continuously on the sky due to earth's rotation, provide broad sky coverage and sustained instrumental stability needed for 21-cm intensity mapping. Here we present the Tracking Tapered Grided Estimator (TTGE) to quantify the power spectrum of the sky signal estimated directly from the visibilities measured in drift scan radio interferometric observations. The TTGE uses the data from the different PC to estimate the power spectrum of the signal from a small angular region located around a fixed tracking center (TC). The size of this angular region is decided by a suitably chosen tapering window function which serves to reduce the foreground contamination from bright sources located at large angles from the TC. It is possible to cover the angular footprint of the drift scan observations using multiple TC, and combine the estimated power spectra to increase the signal to noise ratio. Here we have validated the TTGE using simulations of $154 \, {\rm MHz}$ MWA drift scan observations. We show that the TTGE can recover the input model angular power spectrum $C_{\ell}$ within $20 \%$ accuracy over the $\ell$ range $40 < \ell < 700$.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Redshifted 21-cm bispectrum: Impact of the source models on the signal and the IGM physics from the Cosmic Dawn

The radiations from the first luminous sources drive the fluctuations in the 21-cm signal at Cosmic Dawn (CD) via two dominant astrophysical processes i.e. the Ly$α$ coupling and X-ray heating, making this signal highly non-Gaussian. The impact of these processes on the 21-cm signal and its non-Gaussianity vary depending on the properties of these first sources of light. In this work, we consider different CD scenarios by varying two major source parameters i.e. the minimum halo mass $M_{\rm h,\, min}$ and X-ray photon production efficiency $f_{\rm X}$ in a 1D radiative transfer code GRIZZLY. We study the impact of variation in these source parameters on the large scale ($k_1 = 0.16 {\, \rm Mpc}^{-1}$) 21-cm bispectrum for all possible unique triangles in the Fourier domain. Our detailed and comparative analysis of the power spectrum and bispectrum shows that the shape, sign and magnitude of the bispectrum combinedly provide the best measure of the signal fluctuations and its non-Gaussianity compared to the power spectrum. We also conclude that it is important to study the sequence of sign changes along with the variations in the shape and magnitude of the bispectrum throughout the CD history to arrive at a robust conclusion about the dominant IGM processes at different cosmic times. We further observe that among all the possible unique $k$-triangles, the large-scale non-Gaussianity in signal is best probed by the small $k$-triangles in the squeezed limit and by triangles of similar shapes. This opens up the possibility of constraining the source parameters during the CD using the 21-cm bispectrum.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Modelling the energy distribution in CHIME/FRB Catalog-1

We characterize the intrinsic properties of any FRB using its redshift $z$, spectral index $α$ and energy $E_{33}$ in units of $10^{33} \, {\rm J}$ emitted across $2128 - 2848\; {\rm MHz}$ in the FRB's rest frame. Provided that $z$ is inferred from the measured extra-galactic dispersion measure $DM_{\rm Ex}$, the fluence $F$ of the observed event defines a track in $(α, E_{33})$ space which we refer to as the "energy track". Here we consider the energy tracks for a sample of $254$ non-repeating low dispersion measure FRBs from the CHIME/FRB Catalog-1, and use these to determine $n(E_{33} \mid α)$ the conditional energy distribution i.e. the number of FRBs in the interval $ΔE_{33}$ given a value of $α$. Considering $-10 \le α\le 10$, we find that the entire energy scale shifts to higher energy values as $α$ is increased. For all values of $α$, we can identify two distinct energy ranges indicating that there are possibly two distinct FRB populations. At high energies, the distribution is well fitted by a modified Schechter function whose slope and characteristic energy both increase with $α$. At low energies, the number of FRBs are in excess of the predictions of the modified Schechter function indicating that we may have a distinctly different population of low-energy FRBs. We have checked that our main findings are reasonably robust to the assumptions regarding the Galactic Halo and Host galaxy contributions to the dispersion measure.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Quantifying the redshift space distortion of the bispectrum III : Detection prospects of the multipole moments

The redshift space anisotropy of the bispectrum is generally quantified using multipole moments. The possibility of measuring these multipoles in any survey depends on the level of statistical fluctuations. We present a formalism to compute the statistical fluctuations in the measurement of bispectrum multipoles for galaxy surveys. We consider specifications of a {\it Euclid} like galaxy survey and present two quantities: the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) which quantifies the detectability of a multipole, and the rank correlation which quantifies the correlation in measurement errors between any two multipoles. Based on SNR values, we find that {\it Euclid} can potentially measure the bispectrum multipoles up to $\ell=4$ across various triangle shapes, formed by the three {\bf k} vectors in Fourier space. In general, SNR is maximum for the linear triangles. SNR values also depend on the scales and redshifts of observation. While, $\ell \leq 2$ multipoles can be measured with ${\rm SNR}>5$ even at linear/quasi-linear ($k \lesssim 0.1 \,{\rm Mpc}^{-1}$) scales, for $\ell>2$ multipoles, we require to go to small scales or need to increase bin sizes. For most multipole pairs, the errors are only weakly correlated across much of the triangle shapes barring a few in the vicinity of squeezed and stretched triangles. This makes it possible to combine the measurements of different multipoles to increase the effective SNR.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Towards 21-cm Intensity Mapping at $z=2.28$ with uGMRT using the Tapered Gridded Estimator I: Foreground Avoidance

The post-reionization $(z \le 6)$ neutral hydrogen (HI) 21-cm intensity mapping signal holds the potential to probe the large scale structures, study the expansion history and constrain various cosmological parameters. Here we apply the Tapered Gridded Estimator (TGE) to estimate $P(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$ the power spectrum of the $z = 2.28$ $(432.8\, {\rm MHz})$ redshifted 21-cm signal using a $24.4\,{\rm MHz}$ sub-band drawn from uGMRT Band 3 observations of European Large-Area ISO Survey-North 1 (ELAIS-N1). The TGE allows us to taper the sky response which suppresses the foreground contribution from sources in the periphery of the telescope's field of view. We apply the TGE on the measured visibility data to estimate the multi-frequency angular power spectrum (MAPS) $C_{\ell}(Δν)$ from which we determine $P(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$ using maximum-likelihood which naturally overcomes the issue of missing frequency channels (55 \% here). The entire methodology is validated using simulations. For the data, using the foreground avoidance technique, we obtain a $2\,σ$ upper limit of $Δ^2(k) \le (133.97)^2 \, {\rm mK}^{2}$ for the 21-cm brightness temperature fluctuation at $k = 0.347 \, \textrm{Mpc}^{-1}$. This corresponds to $[Ω_{\rm HI}b_{\rm HI}] \le 0.23$, where $Ω_{\rm HI}$ and $b_{\rm HI}$ respectively denote the cosmic \HI mass density and the \HI bias parameter. A previous work has analyzed $8 \, {\rm MHz}$ of the same data at $z=2.19$, and reported $Δ^{2}(k) \le (61.49)^{2} \, {\rm mK}^{2}$ and $[Ω_{\rm HI} b_{\rm HI}] \le 0.11$ at $k=1 \, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$. The upper limits presented here are still orders of magnitude larger than the expected signal corresponding to $Ω_{\rm HI} \sim 10^{-3}$ and $b_{\rm HI} \sim 2 $.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

A fast estimator for quantifying the shape dependence of the 3D bispectrum

The dependence of the bispectrum on the size and shape of the triangle contains a wealth of cosmological information. Here we consider a triangle parameterization which allows us to separate the size and shape dependence. We have implemented an FFT based fast estimator for the three dimensional (3D) bin averaged bispectrum, and we demonstrate that it allows us to study the variation of the bispectrum across triangles of all possible shapes (and also sizes). The computational requirement is shown to scale as $\sim N_{\rm g}^3~\log{N_{\rm g}^3}$ where $N_g$ is the number of grid points along each side of the volume. We have validated the estimator using a non-Gaussian field for which the bispectrum can be analytically calculated. The estimated bispectrum values are found to be in good agreement ($< 10 \%$ deviation) with the analytical predictions across much of the triangle-shape parameter space. We also introduce linear redshift space distortion, a situation where also the bispectrum can be analytically calculated. Here the estimated bispectrum is found to be in close agreement with the analytical prediction for the monopole of the redshift space bispectrum.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

A maximum likelihood estimate of the parameters of the FRB population

We consider a sample of $82$ non-repeating FRBs detected at Parkes, ASKAP, CHIME and UTMOST each of which operates over a different frequency range and has a different detection criteria. Using simulations, we perform a maximum likelihood analysis to determine the FRB population model which best fits this data. Our analysis shows that models where the pulse scatter broadening increases moderately with redshift ($z$) are preferred over those where this increases very sharply or where scattering is absent. Further, models where the comoving event rate density is constant over $z$ are preferred over those where it follows the cosmological star formation rate. Two models for the host dispersion measure ($DM_{\rm host}$) distribution (a fixed and a random $DM_{\rm host}$) are found to predict comparable results. We obtain the best fit parameter values $α=-1.53^{+0.29}_{-0.19}$, $\overline{E}_{33}=1.55^{+0.26}_{-0.22}$ and $γ=0.77\pm 0.24$. Here $α$ is the spectral index, $γ$ is the exponent of the Schechter luminosity function and $\overline{E}_{33}$ is the mean FRB energy in units of $10^{33} \, {\rm J}$ across $2128 - 2848\; {\rm MHz}$ in the FRB rest frame.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

The auto and cross angular power spectrum of the Cas A supernova remnant in radio and X-ray

The shell type supernova remnant (SNR) Cas A exhibits structures at nearly all angular scales. Previous studies show the angular power spectrum $(C_{\ell})$ of the radio emission to be a broken power law, consistent with MHD turbulence. The break has been identified with the transition from 2D to 3D turbulence at the angular scale corresponding to the shell thickness. Alternatively, this can also be explained as 2D inverse cascade driven by energy injection from knot-shock interactions. Here we present $C_{\ell}$ measured from archival VLA $5$GHz (C band) data, and Chandra X-ray data in the energy ranges ${\rm A}=0.6-1.0 \, \, {\rm keV}$ and ${\rm B} =4.2-6.0 \, \, {\rm keV}$, both of which are continuum dominated. The different emissions all trace fluctuations in the underlying plasma and possibly also the magnetic field, and we expect them to be correlated. We quantify this using the cross $C_{\ell}$ between the different emissions. We find that X-ray B is strongly correlated with both radio and X-ray A, however X-ray A is only very weakly correlated with radio. This supports a picture where X-ray A is predominantly thermal bremsstrahlung whereas X-ray B is a composite of thermal bremsstrahlung and non-thermal synchrotron emission. The various $C_{\ell}$ measured here, all show a broken power law behaviour. However, the slopes are typically shallower than those in radio and the position of the break also corresponds to smaller angular scales. These findings provide observational inputs regarding the nature of turbulence and the emission mechanisms in Cas A.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Redshifted 21-cm bispectrum II: Impact of the spin temperature fluctuations and redshift space distortions on the signal from the Cosmic Dawn

We present a study of the 21-cm signal bispectrum (which quantifies the non-Gaussianity in the signal) from the Cosmic Dawn (CD). For our analysis, we have simulated the 21-cm signal using radiative transfer code GRIZZLY, while considering two types of sources (mini-QSOs and HMXBs) for Ly$α$ coupling and the X-ray heating of the IGM. Using this simulated signal, we have, for the first time, estimated the CD 21-cm bispectra for all unique $k$-triangles and for a range of $k$ modes. We observe that the redshift evolution of the bispectra magnitude and sign follow a generic trend for both source models. However, the redshifts at which the bispectra magnitude reach their maximum and minimum values and show their sign reversal depends on the source model. When the Ly$α$ coupling and the X-ray heating of the IGM occur simultaneously, we observe two consecutive sign reversals in the bispectra for small $k$-triangles (irrespective of the source models). One arising at the beginning of the IGM heating and the other at the end of Ly$α$ coupling saturation. This feature can be used in principle to constrain the CD history and/or to identify the specific CD scenarios. We also quantify the impact of the spin temperature ($T_{\rm S}$) fluctuations on the bispectra. We find that $T_{\rm S}$ fluctuations have maximum impact on the bispectra magnitude for small $k$-triangles and at the stage when Ly$α$ coupling reaches saturation. Furthermore, we are also the first to quantify the impact of redshift space distortions (RSD), on the CD bispectra. We find that the impact of RSD on the CD 21-cm bispectra is significant ($> 20\%$) and the level depends on the stages of the CD and the $k$-triangles for which the bispectra are being estimated.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Constraining the Fast Radio Burst (FRB) properties using the joint distributions of dispersion measure and fluence of the events detected at Parkes, ASKAP, CHIME and UTMOST

The Parkes, ASKAP, CHIME and UTMOST telescopes, which have all detected FRBs, each works at a different frequency and has a different detection criteria. Using simulations, we have combined the constraints from all four telescopes to identify an allowed range of model parameters $(α, \E33)$ for the FRB source population. Here $α$ is the spectral index and $\E33$ is the mean FRB energy in units of $10^{33} \, {\rm J}$ across a $2128 - 2848\; {\rm MHz}$ band in the FRB rest frame. We have considered several different FRB energy distributions, and also different scenarios for the scattering pulse broadening, the event rate density variation with $z$ and the host dispersion measure. We find that in all cases, the common allowed region includes the range $-3.9\leqα\leq-1.3$ and $0.42\leq\E33\leq1$. In all case, large values $α> 4$ and $\E33 >60$ are ruled out. Considering the allowed $(α, \E33)$ parameter range, we predict that CHIME is unlikely to detect an FRB with extra-galactic dispersion measure $(DM_{Ex})$ exceeding $3700\,{\rm pc\,cm}^{-3}$. A substantially larger $DM_{Ex}$ in the large FRB sample anticipated from CHIME would falsify the assumptions of the present analysis. Our analysis is expected to yield tighter parameter constraints with the advent of more FRB data.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Simulated Predictions for HI at $z = 3.35$ with the Ooty Wide Field Array (OWFA) -- II: Foreground Avoidance

Considering the upcoming OWFA, we use simulations of the foregrounds and the $z = 3.35$ HI 21-cm intensity mapping signal to identify the $(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$ modes where the expected 21-cm power spectrum $P(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$ is substantially larger than the predicted foreground contribution. Only these uncontaminated $k$-modes are used for measuring $P(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$ in the "Foreground Avoidance" technique. Though the foregrounds are largely localised within a wedge. we find that the small leakage beyond the wedge surpasses the 21-cm signal across a significant part of the $(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$ plane. The extent of foreground leakage is extremely sensitive to the frequency window function used to estimate $P(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$. It is possible to reduce the leakage by making the window function narrower, however this comes at the expense of losing a larger fraction of the 21-cm signal. It is necessary to balance these competing effects to identify an optimal window function. Considering a broad class of cosine window functions, we identify a six term window function as optimal for 21-cm power spectrum estimation with OWFA. Considering only the $k$-modes where the expected 21-cm power spectrum exceeds the predicted foregrounds by a factor of $100$ or larger, a $5\,σ$ detection of the binned power spectrum is possible in the $k$ ranges $0.18 \leq k \leq 0.3 \, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$ and $0.18 \le k \le 0.8 \, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$ with $1,000-2,000$ hours and $10^4$ hours of observation respectively.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Demonstrating the Tapered Gridded Estimator (TGE) for the Cosmological HI 21-cm Power Spectrum using $150 \, {\rm MHz}$ GMRT observations

We apply the Tapered Gridded Estimator (TGE) for estimating the cosmological 21-cm power spectrum from $150 \, {\rm MHz}$ GMRT observations which corresponds to the neutral hydrogen (HI) at redshift $z = 8.28$. Here TGE is used to measure the Multi-frequency Angular Power Spectrum (MAPS) $C_{\ell}(Δν)$ first, from which we estimate the 21-cm power spectrum $P(k_{\perp},k_{\parallel})$. The data here are much too small for a detection, and the aim is to demonstrate the capabilities of the estimator. We find that the estimated power spectrum is consistent with the expected foreground and noise behaviour. This demonstrates that this estimator correctly estimates the noise bias and subtracts this out to yield an unbiased estimate of the power spectrum. More than $47\%$ of the frequency channels had to be discarded from the data owing to radio-frequency interference, however the estimated power spectrum does not show any artifacts due to missing channels. Finally, we show that it is possible to suppress the foreground contribution by tapering the sky response at large angular separations from the phase center. We combine the k modes within a rectangular region in the `EoR window' to obtain the spherically binned averaged dimensionless power spectra $Δ^{2}(k)$ along with the statistical error $σ$ associated with the measured $Δ^{2}(k)$. The lowest $k$-bin yields $Δ^{2}(k)=(61.47)^{2}\,{\rm K}^{2}$ at $k=1.59\,\textrm{Mpc}^{-1}$, with $σ=(27.40)^{2} \, {\rm K}^{2}$. We obtain a $2 \, σ$ upper limit of $(72.66)^{2}\,\textrm{K}^{2}$ on the mean squared HI 21-cm brightness temperature fluctuations at $k=1.59\,\textrm{Mpc}^{-1}$.

astro-ph.CO↗