Hi-line mapping of large-scale structures in the zone of avoidance

Ramatsoku, Mpati

Hi-line mapping of large-scale structures in the zone of avoidance

Master Thesis

2012

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Astronomy

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Abstract

This dissertation presents a survey made in the 21 cm wavelength line of the neutral hydrogen (HI) to determine redshifts of 928 galaxy candidates in the Zone of Avoidance (ZoA). The 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) is currently the most uniform “whole-sky" redshift survey for mapping large-scale structures, and studying the dynamics in the nearby Universe and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) dipole. While this survey is supposed to cover the whole sky, it excludes the inner ZoA because of difficulties in detecting galaxies due to the heavy obscuration caused by dust and stellar crowding. The lack of redshift data in the ZoA remains the main source of uncertainties in studies of the nearby Universe. To improve on this, the 100m-class Nançay Radio Telescope was used to measure the 21 cm line emission of 928 near-infrared bright galaxy candidates without redshift information in the ZoA which are accessible from the NRT (Dec > -39°), hence focuses predominantly on the mostly unexplored northern ZoA.

Description

Includes abstract.

Includes bibliographical references.

Keywords

Astronomy

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