Real-time cosmology with SKA

Abstract

In this work, we investigate what role the redshift-drift data of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will play in the cosmological parameter estimation in the future. To test the constraint capability of the redshift-drift data of SKA-only, the Λ CDM model is chosen as a reference model. We find that using the SKA1 mock data, the Λ CDM model can be loosely constrained, while the model can be well constrained when the SKA2 mock data are used. When the mock data of SKA are combined with the data of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), the constraints can be significantly improved, becoming almost as good as the data combination of the type Ia supernovae observation (SN), the cosmic microwave background observation (CMB), and the baryon acoustic oscillations observation (BAO). Furthermore, we explore the impact of the redshift-drift data of SKA on the basis of SN+CMB+BAO+E-ELT in the Λ CDM model, the wCDM model, the CPL model, and the HDE model. We find that the redshift-drift measurement of SKA could help to significantly improve the constraints on dark energy and could break the degeneracy between the cosmological parameters. Therefore, we conclude that redshift-drift observation of SKA would provide a good improvement in the cosmological parameter estimation in the future and has the enormous potential to be one of the most competitive cosmological probes in constraining dark energy.