SKA科学白皮书发布：云南大学中国西南研究所团队深度参与宇宙黎明研究
SKA Science Book Released: SWIFAR Team at Yunnan University Contributes to Cosmic Dawn Research
平方公里阵列天文台（Square Kilometre Array Observatory，SKAO）是当今世界规模最大的国际射电天文合作项目之一，旨在通过超高灵敏度的射电观测，为人类开启一扇全新的宇宙探测窗口。其前沿科学研究覆盖一系列重要基础问题，包括第一代恒星和星系的形成、宇宙黎明与再电离时期、宇宙大尺度结构的形成与演化、暗物质与暗能量的本质、脉冲星与引力物理、宇宙磁场、星系演化、快速射电暴，以及生命起源等。
SKA项目由两组新一代射电望远镜构成：第一组为位于澳大利亚西部的SKA-Low，主要开展低频观测，重点研究早期宇宙的演化；第二组为位于南非的SKA-Mid，侧重中频波段的高灵敏度观测，可广泛服务于多类天体物理现象研究。中国作为SKA项目的重要国际合作伙伴，长期深度参与科学规划、关键技术研发、治理体系建设及国际协作等工作，为项目顺利推进作出了重要贡献。
近日正式发布的SKA科学白皮书《Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II》凝聚了国际天文学界的广泛力量，是SKA时代科学前沿的重要标志性成果。该书作为由全球科研共同体驱动制定的科学路线图，系统阐述了SKA在解决现代天体物理与宇宙学重大问题方面的科学潜力。全书将核心科学目标与观测策略、理论发展以及潜在发现空间紧密结合，为未来数十年SKA科学研究的规划与实施提供了关键参考。
云南大学中国西南天文研究所副教授岛袋隼士博士参与了该科学白皮书4个章节的撰写，并主持“21厘米森林”章节。“21厘米森林”是指早期宇宙中的中性氢在高红移明亮射电源背景下产生的一系列吸收特征。这一观测手段为探测宇宙小尺度结构、研究星际介质（IGM）的热演化历史，以及揭示宇宙黎明和再电离时期的物理过程提供了独特而有力的工具。
本项工作充分体现了云南大学中国西南天文研究所科研人员在SKA相关科学研究准备工作中的积极参与和重要作用。
SKA科学白皮书链接：https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.20366“21厘米森林”章节链接：https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.24665
The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) is one of the world’s largest international radio astronomy projects and is designed to open a new window onto the Universe through highly sensitive radio observations. Its frontier science spans a wide range of fundamental questions, including the formation of the first stars and galaxies, the Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionization, the growth of large-scale structure, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, pulsars and gravity, cosmic magnetism, galaxy evolution, fast radio bursts, and the origins of life.
The SKA consists of two next-generation radio telescopes: SKA-Low in Western Australia, optimized for low-frequency observations of the early Universe, and SKA-Mid in South Africa, designed for sensitive mid-frequency observations across a broad range of astrophysical phenomena. China has been a major international partner in the SKA project, contributing to its scientific planning, technology development, governance, and international collaboration.
The newly released SKA Science Book, Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II, represents a major international effort to define the scientific frontier of the SKA era. It serves as a community-driven roadmap for how the SKA will address some of the most fundamental questions in modern astrophysics and cosmology. The volume connects key science goals with observational strategies, theoretical developments, and expected discovery spaces, and will provide an important reference for future SKA science preparations in the coming decades.
Dr. Hayato Shimabukuro, Associate Professor at SWIFAR, Yunnan University, contributed to 4 chapters of the Science Book and served as the lead author of the chapter on the 21cm forest. The 21cm forest refers to absorption features produced by neutral hydrogen in the early Universe against bright high-redshift radio sources. It provides a unique way to probe small-scale structures, the thermal history of the intergalactic medium, and the physics of the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization.
This work highlights the active involvement of the SWIFAR researcher in SKA-related science preparations.
SKA Science Book: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.20366
21cm forest chapter: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.24665
图1. 目前正在澳大利亚建造的SKA-Low天线。
Figure 1. SKA-Low antenna, which is currently being constructed in Australia.
图2. 21厘米森林的原理示意图。
Figure 2. The schematic view of the 21cm forest.
图3. 21厘米森林对天体物理模型的预期约束。
Figure 3. Expected constraint on astrophysical model by the 21cm forest.