Status and future of 21-cm cosmology

The 21-cm hyperfine line of neutral hydrogen is set to revolutionize studies of the first billion years, spanning the cosmic dawn of the first stars and eventual reionization of our Universe. Dr. Andrei Mesinger (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy) will discuss the potential of this probe in learning about the unknown astrophysics of the first galaxies as well as physical cosmology. Current upper limits on the cosmic 21-cm power spectrum already provide new insights into the heating of the intergalactic medium, and the X-ray sources in the first galaxies. He will discuss the upcoming steps, including the main challenges, that will eventually lead to the Nobel prize-worthy 3D map of half of our observable Universe with the Square Kilometer Array telescope.