We investigate the cosmic reionization history by comparing semi-analytical models of the Lya forest with observations of high-z quasars and gamma ray bursts absorption spectra. In order to constrain the reionization epoch z_rei, we consider two physically motivated scenarios in which reionization ends either early (ERM, z_rei>= 7) or late (LRM, z_rei~6). We analyze the transmitted flux in a sample of 17 quasars spectra at 5.7<z<6.4 and in the spectrum of the gamma ray burst 050904 at z=6.3, studying the wide dark portions (gaps) in the observed absorption spectra. By comparing the statistics of these spectral features with our models, we conclude that current observational data do not require any sudden change in the ionization state of the IGM at z~6, favouring indeed a highly ionized Universe at these epochs, as predicted by the ERM. Moreover, we test the predictions of this model through Lya emitters observations, finding that the ERM provide a good fit to the evolution of the luminosity function of Lya emitting galaxies in the redshift range z=5.7-6.5. The overall result points towards an extended reionization process which starts at z>=11 and completes at z_rei>=7, in agreement with the recent WMAP5 data.
Due to the large cross section of Ly$α$ photons with hydrogen, Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs) are sensitive to the presence of neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM) during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR): the period in the Universe's history where neutral hydrogen in the IGM is ionized. The correlation of the ionized regions in the IGM with respect to the underlying intrinsic LAEs has a pronounced effect on the number of observed LAEs and their apparent clustering. As a result, observations of LAEs during the EoR can be used as a probe of the EoR morphology. Here we build on previous…
We present Lya luminosity function (LF), clustering measurements, and Lya line profiles based on the largest sample, to date, of 207 Lya emitters (LAEs) at z=6.6 on the 1-deg^2 sky of Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS) field. Our z=6.6 Lya LF including cosmic variance estimates yields the best-fit Schechter parameters of phi*=8.5 +3.0/-2.2 x10^(-4) Mpc^(-3) and L*(Lya)=4.4 +/-0.6 x10^42 erg s^(-1) with a fixed alpha=-1.5, and indicates a decrease from z=5.7 at the >~90% confidence level. However, this decrease is not large, only =~30% in Lya luminosity, which is too small to be identified in…
The \lya forest at high redshifts is a powerful probe of reionization. Modeling and observing this imprint comes with significant technical challenges: inhomogeneous reionization must be taken into account while simultaneously being able to resolve the web-like small-scale structure prior to reionization. In this work we quantify the impact of inhomogeneous reionization on the \lya forest at lower redshifts ($2 < z < 4$), where upcoming surveys such as DESI will enable precision measurements of the flux power spectrum. We use both small box simulations capable of handling the small-scale struc…
We study statistics of the 21-cm signal from the epoch of reionization. We propose to use [OIII] line emitting galaxies to cross-correlate with the 21-cm signal from $z = 7 - 10$. To this aim, we employ simulations of reionization obtained post-processing the high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic simulation Massive Black-II with the three-dimensional (3D) radiative transfer code CRASH to follow the propagation of ionizing photons from a variety of sources. We show that, during the early phases of reionization, the 21-cm signal is positively correlated with the spatial distribution of the […
JWST ASPIRE: How Did Galaxies Complete Reionization? Evidence for Excess IGM Transmission around ${\rm [O\,{\scriptstyle III}]}$ Emitters during Reionization
Detections of Faint Lyman-alpha Emitters at z = 5.7: Galaxy Building Blocks and Engines of Reionization
We report results of a unprecedentedly deep, blind search for Ly-alpha emitters (LAEs) at z = 5.7 using IMACS, the Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera & Spectrograph, with the goal of identifying missing sources of reionization that could also be basic building blocks for today's L* galaxies. We describe how improvements in wide field imaging with the Baade telescope, upgrades to IMACS, and the accumulation of ~20 hours of integration per field in excellent seeing led to the detection of single-emission-line sources as faint as F ~ 2 x 10^{-18} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2}, a sensitivity 5 times deeper than …
What is the physical origin of strong Lya emission? II. Gas Kinematics and Distribution of Lya Emitters
本文统计研究了z~2处Lya发射体的速度、星际吸收、星云谱线和气体覆盖率。根据我们的深Keck/LRIS观测,结合Subaru/FMOS计划和文献的光谱数据,我们制作了22个Lya等效宽度(EW)大于50的LAE样本。我们用星云谱线确定的系统红移dv_Lya=234+-9 km s-1来估计Lya的平均速度偏移。使用Kolmogorv-Smirnov检验,我们证实了Hashimoto等人(2013)先前的声明,即LAEs的平均dv_Lya小于LBG的平均dv_Lya。我们的LRIS数据成功地确定蓝移的多个IS吸收线在紫外连续的四个LAEs在个人的基础上。IS吸收线相对于系统红移的平均速度偏移为dv_IS=204 ± 27 km s-1,表明LAE的气体外流速度与典型的LBG相当。因此,LAE的比率R^Lya_ IS = dv_Lya/dv_IS约为1,表明IS介质中中性氢的共振散射对Lya传输的影响较低。我们发现Lya EW和覆盖分数f_c之间存在反相关关系,其中f_c是平均中性氢柱密度N_HI的指标。我们的研究结果支持了NHI是决定Lya发射率的关键量的观点。
Detection of the redshifted 21cm-line signal from neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM) during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) is complicated by intense foregrounds such as galactic synchrotron and extragalactic radio galaxies. The 21cm-Lyman-$α$ emitter(LAE) cross-correlation is one of the tools available to reduce the foreground effects because the foreground emission from such radio sources is statistically independent of LAE distribution. LAE surveys during the EoR at redshifts $z=6.6$ and $7.3$ are ongoing by the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). Additionally, Prime Focus Spect…
We discuss the possible origin of the double-peaked profiles recently observed in Lyman-Alpha Emitters (LAEs) at the epoch of reionization ($z \gtrsim 6.5$) from obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN). Combining the extent of the Lyman-$α$ near-zones estimated from the blue peak velocity offset in these galaxies, with the ionizing emissivity of quasars at $z \gtrsim 6$, we forecast the intrinsic UV and X-ray luminosities of the AGN needed to give rise to their double-peaked profiles. We also estimate the extent of the obscuration of the AGN by comparing their luminosities to those of similar qu…
Stacking 21-cm Maps around Lyman-$α$ Emitters during Reionization: Prospects for a Cross-correlation Detection with the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array
Detecting $\rm H_I$ 21cm line in the intergalactic medium (IGM) during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) suffers from foreground contamination such as Galactic synchrotron and extragalactic radio sources. Cross-correlation between the 21cm line and Lyman-$α$ emitter (LAE) galaxies is a powerful tool to identify the 21cm signal since the 21cm line emission has correlation with LAEs while the LAEs are statistically independent of the foregrounds. So far, the detectability of 21cm-LAE cross-power spectrum has been investigated with simple LAE models where the observed Ly$α$ luminosity is proportion…
Gas Motion Study of Lya Emitters at z~2 Using UV and Optical Spectral Lines
我们提出的结果麦哲伦/MMIRS和凯克/NIRSPEC光谱的五个Lya发射体(LAEs)在z=2.2的高分辨率FUV光谱从麦哲伦/MagE是可用的。我们检测星云发射线,包括哈在个人的基础上和低电离星际(LIS)吸收线在堆叠FUV光谱,并测量平均偏移速度的Lya线,Delta_v_Lya,和LIS吸收线,Delta_v_abs,相对于系统速度定义的星云线。对于8个z~2-3 LAEs,我们得到的Δ_v_Lya = 175+/-35 km s^{-1},明显小于Lyman-break Galerkin(LBG)的Δ_v_Lya=400 km s^{-1}。叠加的FUV光谱给出Delta_v_abs = -179 +/- 73 km s^{-1},与LBG的相当。这些正的Delta_v_Lya和负的Delta_v_abs表明LAE也有流出。然而,与LBG相反,LAE的Delta_v_Lya与|Delta_v_abs|一样小,表明中性氢柱密度低。这样一个低的柱密度与少量的共振散射可能会导致观察到的强Lya发射的LAEs。在LAE和LBG样本的汇编中,我们发现Lya等效宽度(EW)和Delta_v_Lya之间存在反相关性。虽然其物理起源尚不清楚,这种反相关的结果似乎挑战的假设,即一个强大的外流,通过减少共振散射的数量,产生一个大的EW。如果z>6处的LAE具有类似的小Delta_v_Lya值…
A number of independent observations suggest that the intergalactic medium was significantly neutral at $z=7$ and that reionization was, perhaps, still in progress at $z=5.7$. The narrowband survey, SILVERRUSH, has mapped over $2,000$ Lyman-$α$ emitters (LAEs) at these redshifts. Previous analyses have assumed that reionization was over by $z=5.7$, but this data may actually sample the final stages of reionization when the last neutral islands were relegated to the cosmic voids. Motivated by these developments, we reexamine LAE void and peak statistics and their ability to constrain reionizati…
Cross-correlation between the redshifted 21 cm signal and Lyman-α emitters (LAEs) is powerful tool to probe the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Although the cross-power spectrum (PS) has an advantage of not correlating with foregrounds much brighter than the 21 cm signal, the galactic and extra-galactic foregrounds prevent detection since they contribute to the variance of the cross PS. Therefore, strategies for mitigating foregrounds are required. In this work, we study the impact of foreground avoidance on the measurement of the 21 cm-LAE cross-correlation. We then simulate the 21 cm observatio…
TORRCH: Tomographic reconstruction of the reionization of cosmic hydrogen with Ly$α$ emitters and non-Ly$α$-selected galaxies
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research(塔塔基础研究所);IIT Kanpur(坎普尔印度理工学院);KU Leuven(荷语鲁汶大学);Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica -Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste(意大利国家天体物理研究所-的里雅斯特天文台);SISSA International School for Advanced Studies(国际高等研究院);INFN - Sezione di Trieste(意大利国家核物理研究所-的里雅斯特分部);IFPU, Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe(宇宙基础物理研究所);ICSC - Centro Nazionale di Ricerca in High Performance Computing, Big Data e Quantum Computing(高性能计算、大数据与量子计算国家研究中心);Kavli Institute for Cosmology and Institute of Astronomy(卡弗里宇宙学研究所和天文学研究所);University of Nottingham(诺丁汉大学);Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh(爱丁堡大学天文学研究所)
We model the high redshift (z > 5) Lyman-$α$ emitting (LAE) galaxy population using the empirical rest-frame equivalent width distribution. We calibrate to the observed luminosity function and angular correlation function at z = 5.7 as measured by the SILVERRUSH survey. This allows us to populate the high-dynamic-range Sherwood simulation suite with LAEs, and to calculate the transmission of their Ly $α$ emission through the inter-galactic medium (IGM). We use this simulated population to explore the effect of the IGM on high-redshift observations of LAEs, and make predictions for the narrowba…
We probe what constraints for the global ionized hydrogen fraction the Void Probability Function (VPF) clustering can give for the Lyman-Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) narrowband survey as a function of area. Neutral hydrogen acts like a fog for Lyman-alpha emission, and measuring the drop in the luminosity function of Lyman-$α$ emitters (LAEs) has been used to constrain the ionization fraction in narrowband surveys. However, the clustering of LAEs is independent from the luminosity function's inherent evolution, and can offer additional constraints for reionization under …
The Inhomogeneous Ionizing Background Following Reionization
本文研究了再电离后(z ~ 5- 6)时期氢电离本底的空间涨落。光子平均自由程(m. f. p.)随红移而迅速减小,再加上越来越稀有的电离源的聚集,可能导致在这一时期内非常不均匀的电离背景。我们系统地研究了电离通量的概率密度函数(PDF)和功率谱,通过改变一些参数,如m. f. p.,能够容纳恒星的最小晕质量和晕占空比。为了通用,我们利用分析,半数值和数值方法。我们的模型表明,电离背景确实有相当大的波动,在这一时期来源的聚类源,与PDF是一个因素的几个宽的极大似然的一半。的分布也显示出显着的不对称性,与高值的尾巴设置的小尺度上的聚类,和较短的低值的尾巴,这是设置的平均自由path. The电离背景的功率谱是更敏感的源属性比PDF和可以很好地理解分析与类似的框架晕模型(通常用于描述暗物质聚类)。然而,我们发现,Lya森林光谱是非常不敏感的UVB的细节,尽管我们的各种电离背景的PDF和功率谱显着的差异。假设一个统一的电离背景只会低估从Lya森林推断的平均电离率的值几个百分点。相反,Lya森林的分析主要是由密度场的不确定性。因此,我们的研究结果证明了一个统一的电离背景Lya森林分析,即使在这个时代的共同假设。
The physical and chemical properties of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) at $z\gtrsim6$ have been studied successfully through the absorption in the spectra of background Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs). One of the most crucial questions is to investigate the nature and location of the source galaxies that give rise to these early metal absorbers. Theoretical models suggest that momentum-driven outflows from typical star-forming galaxies can eject metals into the CGM and the intergalactic medium (IGM) at z=5-6. Deep, dedicated surveys have searched for Ly$α$ emission associated with strong CIV abs…
Before the end of the epoch of reionization, the Hydrogen in the Universe was predominantly neutral. This leads to a strong attenuation of Ly$α$ lines of $z\gtrsim6$ galaxies in the intergalactic medium. Nevertheless, Ly$α$ has been detected up to very high redshifts ($z\sim9$) for several especially UV luminous galaxies. Here, we test to what extent the galaxy's local environment might impact the Ly$α$ transmission of such sources. We present an analysis of dedicated Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging in the CANDELS/EGS field to search for fainter neighbours around three of the most UV lumi…