Reionization and the Cosmic Dawn with the Square Kilometre Array

Mellema G, Koopmans L, Abdalla F, et al. Reionization and the Cosmic Dawn with the Square Kilometre Array. Experimental Astronomy. 2013;36(1-2):235-318.The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will have a low frequency component(SKA-low) which has as one of its main science goals the study of theredshifted 21cm line from the earliest phases of star and galaxy formation inthe Universe. This 21cm signal provides a new and unique window on both theformation of the first stars and accreting black holes and the later period ofsubstantial ionization of the intergalactic medium. The signal will teach usfundamental new things about the earliest phases of structure formation,cosmology and even has the potential to lead to the discovery of new physicalphenomena. Here we present a white paper with an overview of the sciencequestions that SKA-low can address, how we plan to tackle these questions andwhat this implies for the basic design of the telescope