Fundamental Limitations on the Calibration of Redundant 21 cm Cosmology Instruments and Implications for HERA and the SKA

Abstract

Abstract Precise instrument calibration is critical to the success of 21 cm cosmology experiments. Unmitigated errors in calibration contaminate the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) signal, precluding a detection. Barry et al. characterized one class of inherent errors that emerge from calibrating to an incomplete sky model; however, it has been unclear if errors in the sky model affect the calibration of redundant arrays. In this paper, we show that redundant calibration is vulnerable to errors from sky model incompleteness even in the limit of perfect antenna positioning and identical beams. These errors are at a level that can overwhelm the EoR signal and prevent a detection in crucial power spectrum modes. Finally, we suggest error mitigation strategies with implications for the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array and the Square Kilometre Array.