COMAP season 2 results - Mapping the universe in 3D with CO line intensity mapping
Line intensity mapping (LIM) is a new yet rapidly growing observational paradigm for creating diffuse 3D maps of the universe over vast cosmological scales. LIM experiments employ different emission lines, each tracing different physical environments and scales. COMAP is targeting the rotational lines of carbon monoxide (CO), a good tracer of molecular clouds in which stars are born, at redshifts 2.4-3.4.
Most of the LIM field, with CO included, is in the pre-detection stage.
However, the COMAP season 2 results put the worlds tightest constraints on the cosmological CO power spectrum, and is quickly narrowing the allowed model space, ruling out several of the brighter proposed CO models.
Line intensity mapping allows for easier and more unbiased access to the high-redshift universe. Image credits: Kovetz et al. 2019