Event Details

A critical epoch in the history of structure formation in the universe is at redshift around 20, when the universe formed its first generation of compact objects (stars/black holes/galaxies). The ultraviolet photons from these compact objects subsequently led to the reionizaztion of the universe. At such extreme distance as z ~ 20, most known astronomical objects are too faint even for the space-based James Web Space Telescope (JWST) and the ground-based extremely large telescopes of the next decade. The first generation massive stars at z ~ 20 may produce super-luminous supernovae that are bright enough for JWST, but these supernovae will have to be discovered by a deep wide-field infrared survey. The z Equals Twenty from Antarctica (zETA) program aims to acquire near-infrared sky surveys down to a level that enables discovery of z ~ 20 supernovae. zETA is a program endorsed by the working group Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica (AAA) of Scientific Committee on Antarctica Research (SCAR).