The EDGES Analysis Pipeline: Description and Validation

arXiv:2605.16643 · astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.CO · Submitted 2026-05-15 · Read on arXiv

astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.CO

Submitted: 2026-05-15

Updated: 2026-08-30

Comments: 35 pages, 16 figures. v2 fixes mistakes in calibration equations 21-25, consistent with erratum, and adds an appendix comparing calibration quantities with representations in other works

DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae7d10

Code: https://github.com/edges-collab/alans-pipeline

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: The sky-averaged redshifted 21-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn is expected to provide a unique view of the first compact objects.

Terminology

Abstract

The sky-averaged redshifted 21-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn is expected to provide a unique view of the first compact objects. However, its measurement remains daunting. Difficulties are driven by the large dynamic contrast between the intervening foregrounds and the signal-of-interest, which places extremely high demands on instrumental calibration and data quality measures. The ongoing debate within the field concerning the evidence of a potential first detection by the EDGES experiment highlights the need for a more robust set of analysis methods and tools that are reliable and accessible. In this paper, we detail for the first time the precise calibration and analysis methodology adopted in previous EDGES data releases. These methods are presented in the context of a new open-source end-to-end analysis and simulation package for 21-cm global signal experiments that both formalizes these methods and provides general tools for the broader community. Finally, we describe the raw data used in previous EDGES papers and release these data publicly for extended scrutiny.

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