Aliasing from Galactic Plane Setting in Widefield Radio Interferometry
N. Barry, J. L. B. Line, C. R. Lynch, M. Kriele, J. Cook.
First simulated images of Fourier-space aliasing of Galacticset in EoR observations.
Cosmology ∩ Astrophysics
Using some of the world's largest interferometers
to measure some of the Universe's smallest signals.
We are using sound analysis to perform statistical reconstruction of the birth of the first stars during the Epoch of Reionisation. This era is the perfect control experiment for the creation of stars and galaxies -- measuring the intergalactic medium and its structure using the hyperfine transition of Hydrogen will finally tell us the origins of some of the greatest mysteries of the Universe.
About Me
I am an avid researcher in the field of observational cosmology, radio science, and precision analysis. I specialise in Epoch of Reionisation searches, developing unique analysis approaches that push the boundaries of achieved precision within the radio-science community. I did my PhD at the University of Washington, and have worked at the University of Melbourne and Curtin University. In 2024, I began my tenure-track journey at the University of New South Wales as a Scientia Lecturer. I am always happy to have a conversation about pursuing an Honours or PhD project in early Universe cosmology using radio interferometers. Please contact me for inquiries.
Current Research
Here is a selection of recent work that I've been involved in. Full publication list available through ads.
A map of diffuse radio emission at 182 MHz to enhance epoch of reionization observations in the Southern hemisphere
R. Byrne, M. F. Morales, B. Hazelton, I. Sullivan, N. Barry, C. Lynch, J. L. B. Line, D. C. Jacobs.
Measurements of the large-scale diffuse structure on the sky which stand between us and cosmology.
SKA-low intensity mapping pathfinder updates: deeper 21 cm power spectrum limits from improved analysis frameworks
N. Barry, G. Bernardi, B. Greig, N. Kern, F. Mertens.
A review of the current state of affairs in 21-cm EoR signal detection.
Improving the Epoch of Reionization Power Spectrum Results from Murchison Widefield Array Season 1 Observations
N. Barry, M. Wilensky, C. M. Trott, +27 others.
The best upper limit on the EoR signal at the time, which used our open-source pipeline.
The FHD/ɛppsilon Epoch of Reionisation power spectrum pipeline
N. Barry, A. P. Beardsley, R. Byrne, B. Hazelton, M. F. Morales, J. C. Pober, I. Sullivan.
A description of our open-source pipeline -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Previous Accomplishments
Accolaides as perceived through the lens of media. Includes winning a DECRA Fellowship via the Australian Research Council, the Louise Webster Prize from the Astronomical Society of Australia, a Forrest Fellowship via the Forrest Research Foundation, and a Veni Fellowship via the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
Curtin's rising stars recognised in today's ARC early-career funding
Nichole Barry wins the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council, which will fund her next three years of research.
Dark matter in colliding galaxy clusters, travelling back to the cosmic dawn, enabling 'impossible' research, and more
Nichole Barry and Sven Buder win the Louise Webster Prize for Early Career Researchers from the Astronomical Society of Australia for excellence in research.
International researchers awarded Forrest Fellowships to join Curtin
Nichole Barry and Jacob Martin win the prestigious Forrest Fellowship, a privately funded endeavour, to join Curtin University.
Veni grant for six FSE researchers
Six researchers of the Faculty of Science and Engineering have been awarded a Veni grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). [Graciously declined].
Hunting the Cosmic Dawn
World Science Festival Brisbane 2021 with Nobel Laureate Andrea Ghez, Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt, Professor Tamara Davis, and Dr Nichole Barry.
In the high-stakes race to find the dawn of light, Australia just took the lead
Liam Mannix from The Age, Melbourne's leading newspaper, reports on the deepest measurements ever made to look for the first stars and galaxies.
And then there was light: looking for the first stars in the Universe
Media release on the deepest observations ever made to look for the glow during the Epoch of Reionization.
Future PhD Projects
I am currently looking for students at UNSW in Sydney! I have a list of potentially exciting projects to help start a career in low-frequency radio cosmology, but am always happy to discuss any ideas and pathways that come to mind. Please contact me directly if you are interested in applying.
- Data analysis with pyFHD -- Nothing better than getting your hands dirty with petabytes of Murchison Widefield Array data! We are in the process of releasing Version 1 of a professionally ported and packaged data analysis suite in python. This will greatly reduce the learning curve to reducing data, with more time spent investigating scientific questions rather than code bug-hunting. Are you more instrument-minded? Investigate the effects of electromagnetic sensitivity in various aspects of the analysis. Are you more statistics-minded? Uncover the best way create power spectra within the realities of incomplete data sets. Want to innovate? Investigate new ways to get a figure-of-merit that can extract the signal. There are so many possibilities!
- First-ever instrument cross-comparisons -- No one has successfully published a 21-cm Epoch of Reionization data analysis of two different instruments with the same software. This could reveal so much...we are currently limited in how deep we can look for the EoR signal, and by comparing two data sets from different instruments, we can get clues as the dominating reasons why. This could change the field!
- GPU simulations -- For those with a deep interest in computing! We are increasingly relying on model simulations from GPU-based softaware in order to perform critical data analysis, like calibration and subtraction. These models can be used to investigate the base theoretical underpinnings of various choices, from including brightness of the diffuse structure on the sky to discovering correlations in our measurements.
- Exoplanets in the radio -- A joint project with exoplanet experts to look for circularly polarized radio emission from hot Jupiters in our data sets. While this has been attempted before, it was done only in image-space. By harnessing other statistics, it could still be possible.