Related papers: Structure evolution with cosmic backgrounds from r…
The variation of the expansion rate of the Universe with time produces an evolution in the cosmological redshift of distant sources (for example quasar Lyman-$\alpha$ absorption lines), that might be directly observed by future ultra…
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.…
The temporal evolution of the ionizing UV background radiation field at high redshift provides a probe of the evolution of the early star formation rate. By comparing the observed levels of absorption in the highest redshift quasar spectra…
The potential role of cosmic topological defects has raised interest in the astrophysical community for many years now. In this set of notes, we give an introduction to the subject of cosmic topological defects and some of their possible…
The first generation of stars produces a background of Lyman-Werner (LW) radiation which can photo-dissociate molecular hydrogen, increasing the mass of dark matter halos required to host star formation. Previous studies have determined the…
The rotational lines of carbon monoxide and the fine structure lines of CII and of the most abundant metals, emitted during the epoch of enhanced star formation in the universe, are redshifted in the frequency channels where the present-day…
The cosmic far infrared background detected recently by the COBE-DIRBE team is presumably due, in large part, to the far infrared (FIR) emission from all galaxies. We take the well-established correlation between FIR and radio luminosity…
There has been remarkable progress recently in both observational and theoretical studies of galaxy formation and evolution. Largely due to a combination of deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging, Keck spectroscopy, and COBE far-IR background…
Radio continuum surveys can detect galaxies over a very wide range in redshift, making them powerful tools for studying the distant universe. Until recently, though, identifying the optical counterparts of faint radio sources and measuring…
A milestone of modern cosmology was the prediction and serendipitous discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the radiation left over after decoupling from matter in the early evolutionary stages of the Universe. A prediction of…
The study of the formation of massive stars presents complex challenges from both theoretical and observational points of view. The initial phases of evolution, for instance, remain almost hidden except at radio and IR wavelengths. In this…
The frequency spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a relatively untapped source of data which can allow us to peer beyond the surface of last scattering. Small deviations away from a perfect blackbody shape will encode…
The study of cosmic reionization has acquired increasing significance over the last few years because of various reasons. On the observational front, we now have good quality data of different types at high redshifts (quasar absorption…
Star-forming galaxies in the early universe provide us with perhaps the most natural way of explaining the reionization of the universe. Current observational results are sufficiently comprehensive, as to allow us to approximately calculate…
Canada has thriving communities in CMB (cosmic microwave background) studies, cosmology and submillimetre (submm) astronomy, with involvement in many facilities that featured prominently in previous Astronomy Long Range Plans. The standard…
The properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation provide unique constraints on cosmological models, i.e. on the content, history, and evolution of the Universe. I discuss the latest measurements of the spectral and spatial…
The main foundations of the standard $\Lambda $CDM model of cosmology are that: 1) The redshifts of the galaxies are due to the expansion of the Universe plus peculiar motions; 2) The cosmic microwave background radiation and its…
The low frequency tail of the CMB spectrum, down along the radio range (~1 GHz), may carry weak spectral distortions which are fingerprints of processes occurred during different epochs of the thermal history of the Universe, from z~3\times…
Detecting redshifted 21cm emission from neutral hydrogen in the early Universe promises to give direct constraints on the epoch of reionization (EoR). It will, though, be very challenging to extract the cosmological signal (CS) from…
Achieving a precise understanding of galaxy formation in a cosmological context is one of the great challenges in theoretical astrophysics, due to the vast range of spatial scales involved in the relevant physical processes. Observations in…