Events at Physics |
High-Z is a 21-cm all-sky spectrometer that covers the three-octave range from 25 to 200 MHz. The instrument targets the global signal resulting from absorption of cosmic background photons by the 21-cm line of neutral hydrogen during the Cosmic-Dawn era 100-300 My after the Big Bang. Detection of this spectral feature would allow us to determine when the first stars began forming in abundance, the efficiency of that process and the rapidity of development of subsequent neutron-star and black-hole binaries. If detected, the spectral feature we seek will ultimately be mapped via the line-intensity mapping process, similar to the mapping of the Cosmic Microwave Background, but in three dimensions, rather than two. The High-Z instrument has been extensively upgraded, including new calibrators and a new spectrometer. The latest results from High-Z will be presented.