"Carbon Dating the Ancient Cosmic Web with Line-intensity Mapping"

Line-intensity mapping (LIM) will observe the three-dimensional large-scale structure of the ancient universe lit up from within by diffuse and star-forming gas, through a range of spectral lines including those related to interstellar carbon. Experiments in the next decade will develop and fulfil the unparallelled potential of LIM surveys as a multi-pronged probe of cosmic history on cosmic scales, from the first luminous structures at cosmic dawn to the assembly of modern galaxies.
I review my work driving the commissioning and early analyses of two LIM pathfinders, the CO Mapping Array Project (COMAP) Pathfinder and the Tomographic Ionised-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME). The work accomplished through these projects represents important steps on the path to cosmological LIM, with the CCAT observatory poised to kickstart the next generation along this path through key technical advantages and further investment in understanding data from all of these surveys at all levels—a key focus of my ongoing research.