Semi-numeric methods have made it possible to efficiently model the epoch of reionisation (EoR). While most implementations involve a reduction to a simple three-parameter model, we introduce a new mass-dependent ionising efficiency parameter that folds in physical parameters that are constrained by the latest numerical simulations. This new parameterization enables the effective modeling of a broad range of host halo masses containing ionising sources, extending from the smallest Population III host halos with $M \sim 10^6 M_\odot$, which are often ignored, to the rarest cosmic peaks with $M \sim 10^{12} M_\odot$ during EoR. We compare the resulting ionising histories with a typical three-parameter model and also compare with the latest constraints from the Planck mission. Our model results in a optical depth due to Thomson scattering, $τ_{\mathrm{e}}$ = 0.057, that is consistent with Planck. The largest difference in our model is shown in the resulting bubble size distributions which peak at lower characteristic sizes and are broadened. We also consider the uncertainties of the various physical parameters and comparing the resulting ionising histories broadly disfavors a small contribution from galaxies. As the smallest haloes cease a meaningful contribution to the ionising photon budget after $z = 10$, implying they play a role in determining the start of EoR and little else.
We use a suite of cosmological hydrodynamic simulations including a self-consistent treatment for inhomogeneous reionisation to study the impact of galactic outflows and photoionisation heating on the volume-averaged recombination rate of the intergalactic medium (IGM). By incorporating an evolving ionising escape fraction and a treatment for self-shielding within Lyman limit systems, we have run the first simulations of "photon-starved" reionisation scenarios that simultaneously reproduce observations of the abundance of galaxies, the optical depth to electron scattering of cosmic microwave b…
We assess the effect of a population of high-redshift quasars on the 21-cm power spectrum during the epoch of reionisation. Our approach is to implement a semi-numerical scheme to calculate the three-dimensional structure of ionised regions surrounding massive halos at high redshift. We include the ionising influence of luminous quasars by populating a simulated overdensity field with quasars using a Monte Carlo Markov Chain algorithm. We find that quasars modify both the amplitude and shape of the power spectrum at a level which is of the same order as the fractional contribution to reionisat…
We present results from a new Keck spectroscopic survey of UV-faint LBGs in the redshift range 3<z<7. Combined with earlier Keck and published ESO VLT data, our sample contains more than 600 dropouts, offering new insight into the nature of sub-L* sources typical of those likely to dominate the cosmic reionisation process. Here we use this sample to characterise the fraction of strong Lya emitters within the continuum-selected dropouts. By quantifying how the "Lya fraction" varies with redshift, we seek to constrain changes in Lya transmission associated with reionisation. In order to distingu…
The recent low value of Planck (2016) integrated optical depth to Thomson scattering suggests that the reionization occurred fairly suddenly, disfavoring extended reionization scenarios. This will have a significant impact on the 21cm power spectrum. Using a semi-numerical framework, we improve our model from Hassan et al. (2016) to include time-integrated ionisation and recombination effects, and find that this leads to more sudden reionisation. It also yields larger HII bubbles which leads to an order of magnitude more 21cm power on large scales, while suppressing the small scale ionization …
We introduce the "Asymmetric Radiative Transfer In Shells Technique" (ARTIST), a new method for photon propagation on large scales that explicitly conserves photons, propagates photons at the speed of light, approximately accounts for photon directionality, and closely reproduces results of more detailed radiative transfer (RT) codes. Crucially, it is computationally fast enough to evolve the large cosmological volumes required to predict the 21cm power spectrum on scales that will be probed by future experiments targeting the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR). Most semi-numerical models aimed at pr…
The thermal state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) provides an indirect probe of both the HI and HeII reionisation epochs. Current constraints on the IGM temperature from the Lya forest are restricted to the redshift range 2<z<4.5, limiting the ability to probe the thermal memory of HI reionisation toward higher redshift. In this work, we present the first direct measurement of the IGM temperature around a z=6 quasar by analysing the Doppler widths of Lya absorption lines in the proximity zone of SDSS J0818+1722. We use a high resolution (R= 40000) Keck/HIRES spectrum in combination with deta…
Small galaxies are thought to be the main contributors to the ionising budget of the Universe before reionisation was complete. There have been a number of numerical studies trying to quantify their ionising efficiency through the escape fraction $f_{esc}$. While there is a clear trend that $f_{esc}$ is higher for smaller haloes, there is a large scatter in the distribution of $f_{esc}$ for a single halo mass. We propose that this is due to the intrinsic burstiness of star formation in low mass galaxies. We performed high resolution radiative hydrodynamics simulations with Ramses-RT to model t…
We present the results of a numerical study comparing photometric and physical properties of simulated z=6-9 galaxies to the observations taken by the WFC3 instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Using cosmological hydrodynamical simulations we find good agreement with observations in color-color space at all studied redshifts. We also find good agreement between observations and our Schechter luminosity function fit in the observable range, Muv<= -18, provided that a moderate dust extinction effect exists for massive galaxies. However beyond what currently can be observed, simulations p…
The UV escape fraction from high-redshift galaxies plays a key role in models of cosmic reionisation. Because it is currently not possible to deduce the escape fractions during the epoch of reionisation from observations, we have to rely on numerical simulations. Our aim is to better constrain the escape fraction from high-redshift dwarf galaxies, as these are the most likely sources responsible for reionising the Universe. We employ a N-body/SPH method that includes realistic prescriptions for the physical processes that are important for the evolution of dwarf galaxies. These models are post…
Recent results have suggested that active galactic nuclei (AGN) could provide enough photons to reionise the Universe. We assess the viability of this scenario using a semi-numerical framework for modeling reionisation, to which we add a quasar contribution by constructing a Quasar Halo Occupation Distribution (QHOD) based on Giallongo et al. observations. Assuming a constant QHOD, we find that an AGN-only model cannot simultaneously match observations of the optical depth $τ_e$, neutral fraction, and ionising emissivity. Such a model predicts $τ_e$ too low by $\sim 2σ$ relative to Planck cons…
Line intensity mapping opens up a new and exciting window for probing cosmology and fundamental physics during the Epoch of Reionisation, extending to redshifts previously untested by galaxy surveys. The power spectra of these line fluctuations are a promising tool to test gravity over a large range of scales and redshifts. We simulate cosmological volumes of 21cm fluctuations in general parametrisations of modified gravity, in order to calculate the corresponding power spectra, where additional parameters are the initial condition of matter perturbations $α$ and the scale-dependent modified g…
Gravitational Lensing Effects by Galaxy Clusters on Ionised Bubble Size Distribution during the Epoch of Reionisation
National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学天文学与空间科学学院）；Key Laboratory of Space Astronomy and Technology, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台空间天文与技术重点实验室）；Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海天文台）；State Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy and Technology（射电天文与技术国家重点实验室）
Context: Population III (Pop III) stars may be fast rotating. An expected consequence of fast rotation is strong internal mixing that deeply affects their evolutionary tracks in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and hence their ionising power. aims: We investigate the impact on the ionising power of Pop III stars in an extreme case of internal mixing, the one leading to chemically homogeneous evolution (CHE). In that situation, during the main sequence phase, the star keeps the same chemical composition from its center to its surface. Homogeneous stars have larger effective temperatures and lumi…
On the unique evolutionary mechanisms of massive quiescent galaxies in the epoch of reionisation
Swinburne University of Technology（斯威本科技大学）；JWST Australia Data Centre [JADC], Swinburne Advanced Manufacturing and Design Centre [AMDC]（JWST澳大利亚数据中心，斯威本先进制造与设计中心）
Resolving the Assembly of Disk Galaxies from the Epoch of Reionisation to Cosmic Noon
Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University（澳大利亚国立大学天体物理与天文学研究学院）；Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)（意大利国家天体物理研究所）；Scuola Normale Superiore（比萨高等师范学院）；Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen（格罗宁根大学卡普坦天体物理研究所）；DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen（哥本哈根大学尼尔斯玻尔研究所DARK中心）
New supernova surveys such as the Dark Energy Survey, Pan-STARRS and the LSST will produce an unprecedented number of photometric supernova candidates, most with no spectroscopic data. Avoiding biases in cosmological parameters due to the resulting inevitable contamination from non-Ia supernovae can be achieved with the BEAMS formalism, allowing for fully photometric supernova cosmology studies. Here we extend BEAMS to deal with the case in which the supernovae are correlated by systematic uncertainties. The analytical form of the full BEAMS posterior requires evaluating 2^N terms, where N is …
