The international project RECAP has received a synergy grant from the European Research Council (ERC) of 10 million euros, to study a fundamental period in the early history of the Universe. It is the so-called Epoch of Reionization, which started 100-200 million years after the Big Bang.
“We are extremely excited about being awarded this grant that will allow us to tackle one of the most challenging unsolved problems of astronomy. The early formation and evolution of galaxies is a fundamental topic of modern astronomy”, says Kirsten Knudsen, Chalmers, one of four astronomers leading the project.
The 2024 ERC Synergy Grant winners were announced on November 5, with the RECAP project – short for the REionisation Complementary Approach Project – securing a 10 million euro grant. The project is lead by an international team of four female scientists:
- Laura Pentericci and Valentina D'Odorico from the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Italy,
- Benedetta Ciardi from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany, and
- Kirsten Kraiberg Knudsen from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.
RECAP aims to explore the Epoch of Reionization, a key period for understanding the evolution of the Universe. During this phase, the intergalactic medium was ionised by radiation from the very first light sources that appeared in the Universe. (Read more about the Epoch of Reionization below)
Observations and simulations
RECAP will utilise both three-dimensional computer simulations and multi-frequency observations, obtaining data from the James Webb Space Telescope, the Very Large Telescope, and the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) Observatory. The project seeks to decode this complex phase of the Universe, uncovering the nature of the first cosmic light sources and their impact on cosmic evolution. The researchers’ diverse expertise, ranging from observing distant cosmic objects to developing numerical models, allows the team to approach reionization from a comprehensive and unique perspective.
“Our project stems from the desire to combine our diverse and complementary skills to tackle one of the biggest mysteries in modern astrophysics – the Epoch of Reionization. It will be exciting and stimulating to work with my colleagues, as combining our strengths will allow us to unveil this fascinating, distant epoch in the history of our Universe when the first galaxies formed and the so-called ‘Dark Ages’ finally ended”, says Laura Pentericci, INAF.
“Investigating the early stages of galaxies not only enables us to understand galaxies as we see them today, but also allows us to understand the interplay between the galaxies and their large-scale environment in the early Universe. However, this is very challenging research, as we are studying very faint sources at extreme distances. One of the key telescopes will be the ALMA observatory, for which Chalmers has made significant contributions to the design and technical developments”, says Kirsten Knudsen.
Aiming for a lasting scientific legacy
The six-year funding includes hiring researchers and PhD students to contribute to simulations and observations. This project aims to create a lasting scientific legacy to guide observation campaigns for next-generation facilities like the Extremely Large Telescope being built in Chile, as well as the SKA Observatory under construction in South Africa and Australia – where Chalmers is coordinating the Swedish input during the construction phase. The insights gained from the RECAP project will enrich the scientific community’s knowledge, aiding in the optimal planning of future observational projects and equipping them with cutting-edge tools.
Photographer: Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
More info:
The Epoch of Reionization
As described on the Nasa website: The Epoch of Reionization marks the last major transition in the Universe's history, beginning about 100-200 million years after the Big Bang and continuing for hundreds of millions of years. The Epoch of Reionization began when the first stars started to form. Theory predicts that the first stars were 30 to 300 times as massive as our Sun and millions of times as bright, burning for only a few million years before exploding as supernovae. The energetic ultraviolet light from these first stars was capable of splitting hydrogen atoms back into electrons and protons (or ionizing them). This era, from the end of the dark ages to when the universe was around a billion years old, is known as "the epoch of reionization." It refers to the point when most of the neutral hydrogen was reionized by the increasing radiation from the first massive stars. Reionization is an important phenomenon in our universe's history as it presents one of the few means by which we can (indirectly) study these earliest stars. But scientists do not know exactly when the first stars formed and when this reionization process started to occur.
More information about the Epoch of Reionization and the Early Universe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reionization
ERC:
Read more about the European Research Council and Synergy Grants at: https://erc.europa.eu/
SKA:
Read more about SKA and the Swedish involvement: https://www.skao.int/en/partners/prospective-members/186/sweden
ALMA telescope:
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an international astronomy facility operated in partnership between the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. Read more. Chalmers University of Technology and Onsala Space Observatory have been involved in ALMA since its inception; receivers for the telescope are one of many contributions. Onsala Space Observatory is host to the Nordic ALMA Regional Centre, which provides technical expertise to the ALMA project and supports astronomers in the Nordic countries in using ALMA.