Observational Frontiers in the post-EoR 21-cm Intensity Mapping: Lessons from the SKA Pathfinders

Abstract

The 21-cm line from neutral hydrogen has long been recognised as a promising tracer of the large-scale structure of the Universe. The line is weak however, making individual galaxy detections quite inefficient, especially at higher redshifts. The technique of 21-cm intensity mapping has been pioneered over the last two decades to address this limitation. Instead of detecting individual galaxies, the brightness temperature field from the combined 21-cm emission of many unresolved galaxies is mapped as a function of angle and frequency, resulting in 3D tracer maps of the large-scale structure. In this chapter, we review the major pioneering efforts to develop this observable into a competitive cosmological tool, paying particular attention to the status of pathfinder observations that have paved the way for a large and highly sensitive 21-cm intensity mapping survey with the SKA-Mid telescope.

Published in Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII), 2026 (arXiv:2606.20366). Report-no:AASKAII/Elahi01. Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII) outlines the transformative scientific advances that will be enabled by the SKA telescopes