The redshifted 1420 MHz emission from the HI in unresolved damped Lyman-α clouds at high z will appear as a background radiation in low frequency radio observations. This holds the possibility of a new tool for studying the universe at high-z, using the mean brightness temperature to probe the HI content and its fluctuations to probe power spectrum. Existing estimates of the HI density atz−3 imply a mean brightness temperature of 1 mK at 320 MHz. The cross-correlation between the temperature fluctuation across different frequencies and sight lines is predicted to vary from 10⁻⁷ K² to 10⁻⁸ K² over intervals corresponding to spatial scales from 10 Mpc to 40 Mpc for some of the currently favoured cosmological models. Comparing this with the expected sensitivity of the GMRT, we find that this can be detected with ∼ 10 hrs of integration, provided we can distinguish it from the galactic and extragalactic foregrounds which will swamp this signal. We discuss a strategy based on the very distinct spectral properties of the foregrounds as against the HI emission, possibly allowing the removal of the foregrounds from the observed maps.

We study the possibility of quasar outflows in clusters and groups of galaxies heating the intracluster gas in order to explain the recent observation of excess entropy in this gas. We show that radio galaxies alone cannot provide the energy required to explain the observations but the inclusion of Broad Absorption Line (BAL) outflows can do so, and that in this scenario most of the heating takes place atz ∼ 1–4, the “preheating” epoch being at a lower redshift for lower mass clusters.

The Intracluster Medium (ICM) is believed to have been affected by feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and/or supernovae-driven winds. These sources are supposed to have injected entropy into the ICM gas. The recently determined universal pressure profile of the ICM gas has been used and after comparing with the entropy profile of the gas from gravitational effects of the dark matter halo, the additional entropy injected by non-gravitational sources, as a function of the total cluster mass is determined. The current observational data of red-shift evolution of cluster scaling relation is shown that allow models in which the entropy injection decreases at high red-shift.

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) feedback is regarded as an important non-gravitational process in galaxy clusters, providing useful constraints on large-scale structure formation. It modifies the structure and energetics of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) and hence its understanding is crucially needed in order to use clusters as high precision cosmological probes. In this context, particularly keeping in mind the upcoming high quality radio data expected from radio surveys like Square Kilometre Array (SKA) with its higher sensitivity, high spatial and spectral resolutions, we review our current understanding of AGN feedback, its cosmological implications and the impact that SKA can have in revolutionizing our understanding of AGN feedback in large-scale structures. Recent developments regarding the AGN outbursts and its possible contribution to excess entropy in the hot atmospheres of groups and clusters, its correlation with the feedback energy in ICM, quenching of cooling flows and the possible connection between cool core clusters and radio mini-halos, are discussed. We describe current major issues regarding modeling of AGN feedback and its impact on the surrounding medium. With regard to the future of AGN feedback studies, we examine the possible breakthroughs that can be expected from SKA observations. In the context of cluster cosmology, for example, we point out the importance of SKA observations for cluster mass calibration by noting that most of z>1 clusters discovered by eROSITA X-ray mission can be expected to be followed up through a 1000 hour SKA1-mid programme. Moreover, approximately 1000 radio mini halos and ∼2500 radio halos at z<0.6 can be potentially detected by SKA1 and SKA2 and used as tracers of galaxy clusters and determination of cluster selection function.