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arXiv 0912.2693astro-ph.CO
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用类星体、伽马射线暴和Lya发射体观测约束宇宙再电离

Constraining cosmic reionization with quasar, gamma ray burst, and Lya emitter observations

S. Gallerani, A. Ferrara, T. R. Choudhury, X. Fan, R. Salvaterra, P. Dayal

摘要:

我们调查宇宙再电离的历史比较半解析模型的Lya森林与观测的高Z类星体和伽马射线暴吸收光谱。为了限制再电离时期z_rei,我们考虑了两种物理激励的情况,其中再电离提前结束(ERM,z_rei>= 7)或延迟结束(LRM,z_rei~6)。我们分析了17个类星体5.7<z<6.4的光谱样本和伽马射线暴050904在z=6.3的光谱样本中的透射通量,研究了观测到的吸收光谱中的宽暗区(间隙)。通过将这些光谱特征的统计数据与我们的模型进行比较,我们得出结论,目前的观测数据并不需要IGM在z~6处的电离状态发生任何突然变化,这确实有利于在这些时期形成一个高度电离的宇宙,正如ERM所预测的那样。此外,我们测试了这个模型的预测,通过Lya发射体的观测,发现ERM提供了一个很好的适合Lya发射星系的红移范围z=5.7-6.5的光度函数的演变。总体结果指向一个扩展的再电离过程,该过程从z>=11开始,在z_rei>=7时完成,与最近的WMAP 5数据一致。

英文摘要:

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.

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