HI Intensity Mapping with MeerKAT

Abstract

We explore the possibility of performing an HI intensity mapping survey with the South African MeerKAT radio telescope, which is a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). We propose to use cross-correlations between the MeerKAT intensity mapping survey and optical galaxy surveys, in order to mitigate systematic effects and produce robust cosmological measurements. Our forecasts show that precise measurements of the HI signal can be made in the near future. These can be used to constrain HI and cosmological parameters across a wide range of redshift.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures; Submitted to the Proceedings of Science, "MeerKAT Science: On the Pathway to the SKA", Stellenbosch, 25-27 May 201