Exploring the Epoch of Reionization with Scattering Transforms

Ian Hothi (OBSPM, LPENS)

The Epoch of Reionization corresponds to the times during which the first stars and galaxies formed in the Universe. In radio astronomy, the so-called « 21cm line » is the most direct probe of this epoch, offering a true 3D view of how the intergalactic medium is heated and ionised. Current telescopes (LOFAR, NenuFAR) target statistical detection but face foregrounds 1000 times brighter than the signal and instrument-induced systematics that bias standard data analyses. In this talk, after giving a pedagogical overview of this field at the intersection of Astrophysics and Cosmology, I will briefly present novel statistical tools (Scattering Transforms) for Epoch of Reionization studies and assess their suitability for future component–separation methods aimed at detecting the signal and parameter inference for understanding the signal..