The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) First Light

Matt Dobbs, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair (Tier 2), Astrophysics & Cosmology in the Department of Physics, McGill University



The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope saw first light in British Columbia, Canada in September of this year. CHIME is a cylindrical telescope, with four 20m x 100m dishes populated with 1024 dual-polarization feeds operating from 400-800 MHz - making it the largest operating radio correlator. Its primary goals are to make a 3D map of 21cm emission to measure the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations from z=0.8 to 2.5, and to detect fast radio bursts. I will describe CHIME with a focus on its technology and early commissioning.