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arXiv 1206.0735astro-ph.CO
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CANDELS:观测到的星系群对宇宙再电离的贡献

CANDELS: The Contribution of the Observed Galaxy Population to Cosmic Reionization

Steven L. Finkelstein, Casey Papovich, Russell E. Ryan, Andreas H. Pawlik, Mark Dickinson, Henry C. Ferguson, Kristian Finlator, Anton M. Koekemoer, Mauro Giava… 展开作者

Steven L. Finkelstein, Casey Papovich, Russell E. Ryan, Andreas H. Pawlik, Mark Dickinson, Henry C. Ferguson, Kristian Finlator, Anton M. Koekemoer, Mauro Giavalisco, Asantha Cooray, James S. Dunlop, Sandy M. Faber, Norman A. Grogin, Dale D. Kocevski, Jeffrey A. Newman

摘要:

我们目前的特定紫外光光度密度的测量,从483个星系的样本在6<z<8。这些星系是从CANDELS,HUDF 09和ERS计划的新的深近红外HST图像中选出的。与大多数以前的分析,假设星系紫外线(UV)光度的分布遵循Schechter分布,并继续分布到远低于我们的可观测极限的光度相反,我们调查的贡献,我们可以观察到的星系,从这些假设。我们发现,在z=6时,如果平均电离光子逃逸分数(fesc)为~ 30%,则可观测的星系群可以维持一个完全再电离的IGM。许多先前的研究已经测量了这些红移变化5倍的紫外光光度密度,许多人得出结论,星系无法在z=6时完成再电离,除非调用大量比检测极限更暗的星系,或者存在极高的f_esc值。从我们观测到的星系样品在z=7-8的UV光度密度是不足以维持一个完全再电离的IGM,除非f_esc> 50%。结合我们的观测结果和来自Ly-alpha森林观测的电离光子发射率的约束条件,如果观测到的星系是再电离的唯一贡献者,我们可以将f_esc约束为<34%(2-sigma),或者如果光度函数扩展到M_UV =-13,则f_esc约束为<13%(2-sigma)。这些逃逸分数足以在z=6时完成再电离。这些限制意味着IGM的体积电离分数在z>7时变得小于1,这与许多互补的再电离探针一致。如果微弱的星系主导再电离,未来的JWST观测将探测到足够深的地方来看到它们,从而对电离光子逃逸分数提供间接的限制。

英文摘要:

We present measurements of the specific ultraviolet luminosity density from a sample of 483 galaxies at 6<z<8. These galaxies were selected from new deep near-infrared HST imaging from the CANDELS, HUDF09 and ERS programs. In contrast to the majority of previous analyses, which assume that the distribution of galaxy ultraviolet (UV) luminosities follows a Schechter distribution, and that the distribution continues to luminosities far below our observable limit, we investigate the contribution to reionization from galaxies which we can observe, free from these assumptions. We find that the observable population of galaxies can sustain a fully reionized IGM at z=6, if the average ionizing photon escape fraction (f_esc) is ~30%. A number of previous studies have measured UV luminosity densities at these redshifts that vary by 5X, with many concluding that galaxies could not complete reionization by z=6 unless a large population of galaxies fainter than the detection limit were invoked, or extremely high values of f_esc were present. The observed UV luminosity density from our observed galaxy samples at z=7-8 is not sufficient to maintain a fully reionized IGM unless f_esc>50%. Combining our observations with constraints on the emission rate of ionizing photons from Ly-alpha forest observations at z=6, we can constrain f_esc<34% (2-sigma) if the observed galaxies are the only contributors to reionization, or <13% (2-sigma) if the luminosity function extends to M_UV = -13. These escape fractions are sufficient to complete reionization by z=6. These constraints imply that the volume ionized fraction of the IGM becomes less than unity at z>7, consistent with a number of complementary reionization probes. If faint galaxies dominate reionization, future JWST observations will probe deep enough to see them, providing an indirect constraint on the ionizing photon escape fraction [abridged].

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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