First observations for the LADUMA HI survey

Understanding the properties of neutral atomic gas reservoirs in galaxies over a significant fraction of the age of the universe is a key input to understanding the cosmic evolution of galaxies. The Looking At the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array (LADUMA) survey, aiming to extend the study of HI emission to when the universe was only a third (z = 1.4) of its current age, observes a region of the sky covering the Chandra Deep Field South in two frequency bands. In addition, LADUMA observations will make it possible to study the cosmic history of OH megamasers (a probe of gas-rich mergers) to z = 1.8. This talk will provide an update on LADUMA's observations, and data processing, along with a first look at new HI and OH detections. This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation through grant AST-1814421.