Current theories assume that the low intensity of the stellar extragalactic background light (stellar EBL) is caused primarily by finite age of the Universe because the finite age limits the number of photons pumped into the space by galaxies and thus the sky is dark in the night. We oppose this opinion and show that two main factors are responsible for the extremely low intensity of the observed stellar EBL: (1) a low mean surface brightness of galaxies, which causes a low luminosity density in the local Universe, and (2) light extinction due to absorption by galactic and intergalactic dust. Dust produces a partial opacity of galaxies and of the Universe. The galactic opacity reduces the intensity of light from more distant background galaxies obscured by foreground galaxies. The effective extinction AV for light passing through a galaxy is 0.2 mag. This causes that distant background galaxies do not contribute to the EBL significantly. In addition, light of distant galaxies is dimmed due to absorption by intergalactic dust. Even a minute intergalactic opacity of 1x10^(-2) mag per Gpc is high enough to produce significant effects on the EBL. The absorbed starlight heats up the galactic and intergalactic dust and is further re-radiated at the IR, FIR and micro-wave spectrum. Assuming static infinite universe with no galactic and intergalactic dust, the stellar EBL should be as high as the surface brightness of stars. However, if dust is considered, the predicted stellar EBL is about 290 nWm^(-2)sr^(-1), which is only 5 times higher than the observed value. Hence, the presence of dust has higher impact on the EBL than currently assumed. In the expanding universe, the calculated value of the EBL is further decreased, because the obscuration effect and intergalactic absorption become more pronounced at high redshifts when the matter was concentrated at smaller volume than at present.
The observed extragalactic background light (EBL) is affected by light attenuation due to absorption of light by galactic and intergalactic dust in the Universe. Even galactic opacity of 10-20 percent and minute universe intergalactic opacity of $0.01\,\mathrm{mag}\,h\,\mathrm{Gpc}^{-1}$ at the local Universe have a significant impact on the EBL because obscuration of galaxies and density of intergalactic dust increase with redshift as $\left(1+z\right)^3$. Consequently, intergalactic opacity increases and the Universe becomes considerably opaque at $z > 3$. Adopting realistic values for galac…
The Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) stands for the mean surface brightness of the sky as we would see it from a representative vantage point in the intergalactic space outside of our Milky Way Galaxy. Averaged over the whole 4 pi solid angle it represents the collective light from all luminous matter radiated throughout the cosmic history. Part of the EBL is resolved into galaxies that, with the increasing detecting power of giant telescopes and sensitive detectors, are seen to deeper and deeper limiting magnitudes. This resolved part is now known to contribute a substantial or even the m…
We study the contribution of the first galaxies to the far-infrared/sub-millimeter (FIR/sub-mm) extragalactic background light (EBL) by implementing an analytical model for dust emission. We explore different dust models, assuming different grain size distributions and chemical compositions. According to our findings, observed re-radiated emission from dust in dwarf-size galaxies at $z \sim 10$ would peak at a wavelength of $\sim 500 μ{\rm m}$ with observed fluxes of $\sim 10^{-3} - 10^{-2}$ nJy, which is below the capabilities of current observatories. In order to be detectable, model sources…
At any given epoch, the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) carries imprints of integrated star formation activities in the universe till that epoch. On the other hand, in order to estimate the EBL, when direct observations are not possible, one requires an accurate estimation of the star formation rate density (SFRD) and the dust attenuation ($A_ν$) in galaxies. Here, we present a 'progressive fitting method' that determines global average SFRD($z$) and $A_ν(z)$ for any given extinction curve by using the available multi-wavelength multi-epoch galaxy luminosity function measurements. Using t…
In this Letter, we constrain the dust-to-gas ratio in the intergalactic medium (IGM) at high redshifts. We employ models for dust in the local Universe to contrain the dust-to-gas ratio during the epoch of reionization at redshifts z ~ 6-10. The observed level of reddening of high redshift galaxies implies that the IGM was enriched to an intergalactic dust-to-gas ratio of less than 3% of the Milky Way value by a redshift of z=10.
High resolution X-ray imaging offers a unique opportunity to probe the nature of dust in the z ~< 2 universe. Dust grains 0.1- 1 um in size will scatter soft X-rays, producing a diffuse "halo" image around an X-ray point source, with a brightness ~ few % confined to an arcminute-sized region. We derive the formulae for scattering in a cosmological context and calculate the surface brightness of the scattering halo due to (i) an IGM uniformly enriched (Omega_ d ~ 10^-5) by a power-law distribution of grain sizes, and (ii) a DLA-type (N_H ~ 10^21 cm^-2) dust screen at cosmological distances. The…
The present day spectrum of the extragalactic background light (EBL) in UV, optical and IR wavelengths is the integral result of multiple astrophysical processes going on throughout the evolution of the Universe. The relevant processes include star formation, stellar evolution, light absorption and emission by the cosmic dust. The properties of these processes are known with uncertainties which contribute to the EBL spectrum precision. In the present paper we develop a numerical model of the EBL spectrum while maintaining the explicit dependence on the astrophysical parameters involved. We con…
We present statistics of 133 faint 1.2-mm continuum sources detected in about 120 deep ALMA pointing data that include all the archival deep data available by 2015 June. We derive number counts of 1.2 mm continuum sources down to 0.02 mJy partly with the assistance of gravitational lensing, and find that the total integrated 1.2 mm flux of the securely identified sources is 22.9^(+6.7)_(-5.6) Jy deg^(-2) that corresponds to 104^(+31)_(-25) % of the extragalactic background light (EBL) measured by COBE observations. These results suggest that the major 1.2 mm EBL contributors are sources with 0…
We present new synthesis models of the extragalactic background light (EBL) from far infra-red (FIR) to TeV gamma-rays, with an emphasis on the extreme ultraviolet (UV) background which is responsible for the observed ionization and thermal state of the intergalactic medium across the cosmic time. Our models use updated values of the star formation rate density and dust attenuation in galaxies, QSO emissivity, and the distribution of H I gas in the IGM. Two of the most uncertain parameters in these models, the escape fraction of H I ionizing photons from galaxies and the spectral energy distri…
I examine a possible spectral distortion of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) due to its absorption by galactic and intergalactic dust. I show that even subtle intergalactic opacity of $1 \times 10^{-7}\, \mathrm{mag}\, h\, \mathrm{Gpc}^{-1}$ at the CMB wavelengths in the local Universe causes non-negligible CMB absorption and decline of the CMB intensity because the opacity steeply increases with redshift. The CMB should be distorted even during the epoch of the Universe defined by redshifts $z < 10$. For this epoch, the maximum spectral distortion of the CMB is at least $20 \times 10^{-2…
We report observation of isotropic interplanetary dust (IPD) by analyzing the infrared (IR) maps of Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) onboard the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) spacecraft. To search for the isotropic IPD, we perform new analysis in terms of solar elongation angle ($ε$), because we expect zodiacal light (ZL) intensity from the isotropic IPD to decrease as a function of $ε$. We use the DIRBE weekly-averaged maps covering $64^\circ \lesssim ε\lesssim 124^\circ$ and inspect the $ε$-dependence of residual intensity after subtracting conventional ZL components. We fi…
Aims. Our aim is to estimate the intergalactic medium transmission towards UV-selected star-forming galaxies at redshift 4 and above and study the effect of the dust attenuation on these measurements. Methods. The ultra-violet spectrum of high redshift galaxies is a combination of their intrinsic emission and the effect of the Inter-Galactic medium (IGM) absorption along their line of sight. Using data coming from the unprecedented deep spectroscopy from the VANDELS ESO public survey carried out with the VIMOS instrument we compute both the dust extinction and the mean transmission of the IGM …
We present an updated model for the extragalactic background light (EBL) from stars and dust, over wavelengths approximately 0.1 to 1000 $μ$m. This model uses accurate theoretical stellar spectra, and tracks the evolution of star formation, stellar mass density, metallicity, and interstellar dust extinction and emission in the universe with redshift. Dust emission components are treated self-consistently, with stellar light absorbed by dust reradiated in the infrared as three blackbody components. We fit our model, with free parameters associated with star formation rate and dust extinction an…
The study of the extragalactic background light (EBL) is undergoing a renaissance. New results from very high energy experiments and deep space missions have broken the deadlock between the contradictory measurements in the optical and near-IR arising from direct versus discrete source estimates. We are also seeing advances in our ability to model the EBL from gamma-ray to radio wavelengths with improved dust models and AGN handling. With the advent of deep and wide spectroscopic and photometric redshift surveys, we can now subdivide the EBL into redshift intervals. This allows for the recover…
We present predictions for the UV-to-mm extragalactic background light (EBL) from a recent version of the GALFORM semi-analytical model of galaxy formation which invokes a top-heavy stellar initial mass function (IMF) for galaxies undergoing dynamically-triggered bursts of star formation. We combine GALFORM with the GRASIL radiative transfer code for computing fully self-consistent UV-to-mm spectral energy distributions for each simulated galaxy, accounting for the absorption and re-emission of stellar radiation by interstellar dust. The predicted EBL is in near-perfect agreement with recent o…
In most studies of dust in galaxies, dust is only detected from its emission to approximately the optical radius of the galaxy. By combining the signal of 110 spiral galaxies observed as part of the Herschel Reference Survey, we are able to improve our sensitivity by an order-of-magnitude over that for a single object. Here we report the direct detection of dust from its emission that extends out to at least twice the optical radius. We find that the distribution of dust is consistent with an exponential at all radii with a gradient of ~-1.7 dex R$_{25}^{-1}$. Our dust temperature declines lin…
Motivated by the discovery of the ultra-strong emission line starburst galaxies (EELGs) known as "green pea galaxies", we consider here their contribution to the intergalactic flux of ionizing UV at high redshifts. Most galaxies that have been observed show a precipitous drop in their flux blueward of the Lyman limit. However, recent observations of EELGs have discovered that many more Lyman continuum photons escape from them into intergalactic space than was previously suspected. We calculate their contribution to the extragalactic background light (EBL). We also calculate the effect of these…
We interpret observations of intergalactic low ionisation metal absorption systems at redshifts z $\gtrsim$5 in terms of pressure-confined clouds. We find clouds confined by the expected pressure of galactic haloes with masses $11<\log M_h/h^{-1}M_\odot<12$ provide a good description of the column density ratios between low ionisation metal absorbers. Some of the ratios, however, require extending conventional radiative transfer models of irradiated slabs to spherical (or cylindrical) clouds to allow for lines of sight passing outside the cores of the clouds. Moderate depletion of silicon onto…
X-ray bright quasars might be used to trace dust in the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium through the phenomenon of X-ray scattering, which is observed around Galactic objects whose light passes through a sufficient column of interstellar gas and dust. Of particular interest is the abundance of grey dust larger than 0.1 um, which is difficult to detect at other wavelengths. To calculate X-ray scattering from large grains, one must abandon the traditional Rayleigh-Gans approximation. The Mie solution for the X-ray scattering optical depth of the Universe is ~1%. This presents a great diff…
We present an analysis of a deep (1$σ$=13 $μ$Jy) cosmological 1.2-mm continuum map based on ASPECS, the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. In the 1 arcmin$^2$ covered by ASPECS we detect nine sources at $>3.5σ$ significance at 1.2-mm. Our ALMA--selected sample has a median redshift of $z=1.6\pm0.4$, with only one galaxy detected at z$>$2 within the survey area. This value is significantly lower than that found in millimeter samples selected at a higher flux density cut-off and similar frequencies. Most galaxies have specific star formation rates similar to that of main s…
Using all-sky maps obtained from COBE/DIRBE at 3.5 and 4.9 um, we present a reanalysis of diffuse sky emissions such as zodiacal light (ZL), diffuse Galactic light (DGL), integrated starlight (ISL), and isotropic residual emission including the extragalactic background light (EBL). Our new analysis, which includes an improved estimate of ISL using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data, enabled us to find the DGL signal in a direct linear correlation between diffuse near-infrared and 100 um emission at high Galactic latitudes (|b| > 35 degree). At 3.5um, the high-latitude DGL resu…
The redshift-dependent fraction of color-selected galaxies revealing Lyman alpha emission has become the most valuable constraint on the evolving neutrality of the early intergalactic medium. However, in addition to resonant scattering by neutral gas, the visibility of Lyman alpha is also dependent on the intrinsic properties of the host galaxy, including its stellar population, dust content and the nature of outflowing gas. Taking advantage of significant progress we have made in determining the line emitting properties of $z \simeq 4-6$ galaxies, we propose an improved method, based on using…
Whenever gas is blown out of a galaxy, chances are that it contains some cosmic dust. This dust is an important part of the metals budget for the circumgalactic and intergalactic media, and traces the outflow and stripping history of the galaxy. The dust is also interesting in its own right, as dust plays an essential role in many astrophysical processes. We have only begun to learn about circumgalactic dust, and in particular we do not know how (and when) it escapes its host galaxy. Here we describe the prospects for measuring the dust mass and properties around many individual galaxies, whic…
To investigate the evolution of dust in a cosmological volume, we perform hydrodynamic simulations, in which the enrichment of metals and dust is treated self-consistently with star formation and stellar feedback. We consider dust evolution driven by dust production in stellar ejecta, dust destruction by sputtering, grain growth by accretion and coagulation, and grain disruption by shattering, and treat small and large grains separately to trace the grain size distribution. After confirming that our model nicely reproduces the observed relation between dust-to-gas ratio and metallicity for nea…
In recent years, interstellar dust has become a crucial topic in the study of the high and very high redshift Universe. Evidence points to the existence of high dust masses in massive star forming galaxies already during the Epoch of Reionization, potentially affecting the escape of ionising photons into the intergalactic medium. Moreover, correctly estimating dust extinction at UV wavelengths is essential for precise ultra-violet luminosity function (UVLF) prediction and interpretation. In this paper, we investigate the impact of dust on the observed properties of high redshift galaxies, and …
The first generation of stars were born a few hundred million years after the big bang. These stars synthesized elements heavier than H and He, that are later expelled into the interstellar medium, initiating the rise of metals. Within this enriched medium, the first dust grains formed. This event is cosmological crucial for molecule formation as dust plays a major role by cooling low-metallicity star-forming clouds which can fragment to create lower mass stars. Collecting information on these first dust grains is difficult because of the negative alliance of large distances and low dust masse…
A Detection of Circumgalactic Dust at Megaparsec Scales with Maximum Likelihood Estimation
Northeastern University（东北大学）；Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院喷气推进实验室）；Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie（巴黎西大，法国国家科学研究中心，粒子与宇宙学）
Using the deepest 1.2 mm continuum map to date in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field obtained as part of the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey (ASPECS) large program, we measure the cosmic density of dust and implied gas (H$_{2}+$H I) mass in galaxies as a function of look-back time. We do so by stacking the contribution from all $H$-band selected galaxies above a given stellar mass in distinct redshift bins, $ρ_{\rm dust}(M_\ast>M,z)$ and $ρ_{\rm gas}(M_\ast>M,z)$. At all redshifts, $ρ_{\rm dust}(M_\ast>M,z)$ and $ρ_{\rm gas}(M_\ast>M,z)$ grow rapidly as $M$ decreases down to $10^{10}\,M_\odot$, but this gr…
We conducted sub-millimeter observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) of star-forming galaxies at $z\sim3.3$, whose gas-phase metallicities have been previously measured. We investigate the dust and gas contents of the galaxies at $z\sim3.3$ and study how galaxies are interacting with their circumgalactic/intergalactic medium at this epoch by probing their gas mass fractions and gas-phase metallicities. Single-band dust continuum emission tracing dust mass and the relation between the gas-phase metallicity and gas-to-dust mass ratio are used to estimate the gas…
We investigate the far-infrared properties of galaxies selected via deep, narrow-band imaging of the H$α$ emission line in four redshift slices from $z=0.40$--$2.23$ over $\sim 1$deg$^2$ as part of the High-redshift Emission Line Survey (HiZELS). We use a stacking approach in the Herschel PACS/SPIRE bands, along with $850\,μ$m imaging from SCUBA-2 to study the evolution of the dust properties of H$α$-emitters selected above an evolving characteristic luminosity threshold, $0.2L^\star_{{\rm H}α}(z)$. We investigate the relationship between the dust temperatures and the far-infrared luminosities…
Galactic-scale outflows regulate the stellar mass growth and chemical enrichment of galaxies, yet key outflow properties such as the chemical composition and mass loss rate remain largely unknown. We address these properties with Keck/ESI echellete spectra of nine gravitationally lensed z=2-3 star forming galaxies, probing a range of absorption transitions. Interstellar absorption in our sample is dominated by outflowing material, with typical velocities -150 km/s. Approximately 80% of the total column density is associated with a net outflow. Mass loss rates in the low ionization phase are co…
