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arXiv · 2603.01529

CosmicWeb-21cm array: A New Radio Observation Array Design for 21cm Cosmology

Jiancheng Wang·Jirong Mao·Xiangming Cheng·Yigong Zhang·Jie Su·Xiaogu Zhong·Min Wang·Zhigang Zhang·Qingwei Wang·Yonghua Xu·Zhixuan Li·Longhua Qin·Zhengjun Zhang
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Abstract

This paper presents the CosmicWeb-21cm array, a novel radio interferometer designed to overcome the key challenges in 21 cm cosmology. Its core innovations include: (1) a multi-scale nested geometry combining a hexagonal core with logarithmic spiral arms for excellent UV coverage and calibration robustness; (2) an intelligent non-uniform frequency sampling strategy that adapts resolution to foreground and signal characteristics, reducing data volume while preserving information; and (3) a machine-learning-enhanced, physics-informed processing pipeline that achieves 99.7\% foreground removal efficiency; (4) a dual-polarization crossed dipole integrated with a dielectric lens and cryogenically cooled LNA, achieving stable beam patterns and low noise temperature ($<35$ K) across 50-250 MHz. These co-designed advances enable high sensitivity mapping of the Epoch of Reionization, dark energy constraints and cosmic-web structure.

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Jiancheng Wang, Jirong Mao, Xiangming Cheng, Yigong Zhang, Jie Su, Xiaogu Zhong, Min Wang, Zhigang Zhang, Qingwei Wang, Yonghua Xu, Zhixuan Li, Longhua Qin, Zhengjun Zhang. 2026-03-02. CosmicWeb-21cm array: A New Radio Observation Array Design for 21cm Cosmology. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.01529

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