The High-Redshift Universe as a Cosmological Laboratory - From JWST Tensions to the SKA Era

Explore cutting-edge cosmological research through this conference session featuring three expert presentations on high-redshift universe studies and their implications for modern cosmology. Delve into how the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed tensions in our understanding of early universe formation with Tirthankar Roy Choudhury's examination of the high-redshift universe as a cosmological laboratory, spanning from current JWST observations to future Square Kilometre Array capabilities. Investigate the cosmic reionization epoch with Girish Kulkarni as he discusses how studying the transition from neutral hydrogen islands to ionized regions provides leverage for understanding dark sector physics and fundamental cosmological parameters. Examine 21-centimeter radio astronomy constraints on the early universe with Saurabh Singh's analysis of how neutral hydrogen observations can probe cosmological models at high redshifts. This session forms part of the broader "Rethinking Cosmology" conference addressing current challenges to the standard ΛCDM model, including the Hubble tension, violations of cosmological isotropy and homogeneity, and emerging observational anomalies that may require new theoretical frameworks beyond the current paradigm.