Direct Imaging of the Cosmic Web of Intergalactic and Circumgalactic Gas – John Webb

The filamentary pattern in which the Universe’s matter concentrates, the cosmic web, is predicted by the ΛCDM cosmological model and contains the majority of the universe’s matter. Detailed mapping of this interconnected structure of gaseous filaments, galaxies, quasars, dark matter, and voids, is central to a comprehensive understanding of the origin and evolution of our Universe. I will describe recent imaging observations aimed at detecting the cosmic web using the Condor Array Telescope in New Mexico, centered on the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field at a redshift of z=2.45. I will also show new calculations based on hydrodynamical simulations to predict the cosmic web Lyman-alpha emission properties for comparison with real data. Finally, I will discuss the construction of a new Condor Telescope in the Atacama that will go even deeper and which we hope will see first light towards the end of 2025.