Cosmology with Multi-Wavelength Line Intensity Mapping Synergies in the SKAO Era
astro-ph.CO
Submitted: 2026-06-29
Updated: 2026-10-02
Comments: Published in Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII), 2026 (arXiv:2606.20366). Report-no:AASKAII/Sarkar01. Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII) outlines the transformative scientific advances that will be enabled by the SKA telescopes
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
The gist: Line intensity mapping (LIM) has emerged as a powerful tool for surveying the large-scale structure of the Universe across cosmic time by measuring spatial fluctuations in the cumulative emission of
Terminology
Abstract
Line intensity mapping (LIM) has emerged as a powerful tool for surveying the large-scale structure of the Universe across cosmic time by measuring spatial fluctuations in the cumulative emission of spectral lines from unresolved sources or the intergalactic medium. Besides the most abundant 21-cm hyperfine line of neutral hydrogen, there are bright far-infrared fine-structure lines like [CII] 158 mu m, [OIII] 88 mu m, [NII] 122/205 mu m, and [OI] 63 mu m, as well as mid-/high- J CO rotational transitions, hydrogen Ly alpha and H alpha as potential LIM probes. A key opportunity lies in combining and cross-correlating 21-cm intensity maps from SKAO with other line intensity maps, targeted by a range of ongoing and forthcoming LIM experiments that probe overlapping cosmic volumes. Cross-correlation between 21-cm maps and other line tracers mitigates uncorrelated systematics and enhances sensitivity to the underlying matter distribution, while multi-line analyses help disentangle cosmological and astrophysical parameters. Beyond cross-power spectra, higher-order and morphological statistics -- such as cross-bispectra, marked correlations, and morphological measures -- capture non-Gaussian features and the environmental dependence of structure formation. This chapter explores the synergies that can be achieved by combining SKAO observations with other line-intensity mapping experiments, demonstrating how such joint analyses can unlock new insights into galaxy evolution and cosmology.
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