We introduce a new self-consistent model of galaxy evolution and reionization, ASTRAEUS (semi-numerical rAdiative tranSfer coupling of galaxy formaTion and Reionization in N-body dArk mattEr simUlationS), which couples a state-of-the-art N-body simulation with the semi-analytical galaxy evolution DELPHI and the semi-numerical reionization scheme CIFOG. ASTRAEUS includes all the key processes of galaxy formation and evolution (including accretion, mergers, supernova and radiative feedback) and follows the time and spatial evolution of the ionized regions in the intergalactic medium (IGM). Importantly, it explores different radiative feedback models that cover the physically plausible parameter space, ranging from a weak and delayed to a strong and immediate reduction of gas mass available for star formation. From our simulation suite that covers the different radiative feedback prescriptions and ionization topologies, we find that radiative feedback continuously reduces star formation in galaxies with $M_h<10^{9.5}M_{\odot}$ upon local reionization; larger mass halos are unaffected even for the strongest and immediate radiative feedback cases during reionization. For this reason, the ionization topologies of different radiative feedback scenarios differ only on scales smaller than $1-2$Mpc, and significant deviations are only found when physical parameters (e.g. the escape fraction of ionizing photons) are altered based on galactic properties. Finally, we find observables (the ultra-violet luminosity function, stellar mass function, reionization histories and ionization topologies) are hardly affected by the choice of the used stellar population synthesis models that either model single stars or binaries.
In this work, the sixth of a series, we use the ASTRAEUS (semi-numerical rAdiative tranSfer coupling of galaxy formaTion and Reionization in N-body dark matter simUlationS) framework to investigate the nature of the sources that reionized the Universe. We extend ASTRAEUS, which already couples a galaxy formation semi-analytical model with a detailed semi-numerical reionization scheme, to include a model for black hole formation, growth, and the production of ionizing radiation from associated AGN (active galactic nuclei). We calibrate our fiducial AGN model to reproduce the bolometric luminosi…
In this work, we use the {\sc astraeus} (seminumerical rAdiative tranSfer coupling of galaxy formaTion and Reionization in N-body dArk mattEr simUlationS) framework which couples galaxy formation and reionization in the first billion years. Exploring a number of models for reionization feedback and the escape fraction of ionizing radiation from the galactic environment ($f_\mathrm{esc}$), we quantify how the contribution of star-forming galaxies {(with halo masses $M_h>10^{8.2}$M$_\odot$)} to reionization depends on the radiative feedback model, $f_\mathrm{esc}$, and the environmental over-den…
Next generation telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (NGRST) will enable us to study the first billion years of our Universe in unprecedented detail. In this work we use the ASTRAEUS (semi-numerical rAdiative tranSfer coupling of galaxy formaTion and Reionization in N-body dArk mattEr simUlationS) framework, that couples galaxy formation and reionization (for a wide range of reionization feedback models), to estimate the cosmic variance expected in the UV Luminosity Function (UV LF) and the Stellar Mass Function (SMF) in JWST survey…
Using the ASTRAEUS (semi-numerical rAdiative tranSfer coupling of galaxy formaTion and Reionization in N-body dark matter simUlationS) framework, we explore the impact of environmental density and radiative feedback on the assembly of galaxies and their host halos during the Epoch of Reionization. The ASTRAEUS framework allows us to study the evolution of galaxies with masses ($\rm 10^{8.2}M_\odot < M_{\rm h} < 10^{13}M_\odot$) in wide variety of environment ($-0.5 < {\rm log}(1+δ) < 1.3$ averaged over $(2~{\rm cMpc})^3$). We find that : (i) there exists a mass- and redshift- dependent "charac…
In this work, we have implemented a detailed physical model of galaxy chemical enrichment into the ${\it Astraeus}$ (semi-numerical rAdiative tranSfer coupling of galaxy formaTion and Reionization in N-body dark matter simUlationS) framework which couples galaxy formation and reionization in the first billion years. Simulating galaxies spanning over 2.5 orders of magnitude in halo mass with $M_h \sim 10^{8.9-11.5} M_\odot$ ($M_h \sim 10^{8.9-12.8} M_\odot$) at $z \sim 10 ~ (5)$, we find: (i) smooth-accretion of metal-poor gas from the intergalactic medium (IGM) plays a key role in diluting the…
We use the \textsc{astraeus} framework, that couples an N-body simulation with a semi-analytic model for galaxy formation and a semi-numerical model for reionization, to quantify the star formation histories (SFHs) of galaxies in the first billion years. Exploring four models of radiative feedback, we fit the SFH of each galaxy at $z>5$ as $\mathrm{log}(\mathrm{SFR}(z))=-α(1 + z)+β$; star formation is deemed stochastic if it deviates from this fit by more than $Δ_\mathrm{SFR}=0.6\,$dex. Our key findings are: (i) The fraction of stellar mass formed and time spent in the stochastic phase decreas…
Given that the reionization history of cosmic hydrogen is yet to be stringently constrained, it is worth checking the prospects of doing so using physically motivated models and available observational data. For this purpose, we use an extended version of the explicitly photon-conserving semi-numerical model of reionization, $\texttt{SCRIPT}$, which also includes thermal evolution of the intergalactic medium (IGM). The model incorporates the effects of inhomogeneous recombination and radiative feedback self-consistently and is characterized by five free parameters (two for the redshift-depende…
We present a new semi-analytic model of the formation of the first stars. Our method takes dark matter halo merger trees (including 3-dimensional spatial information) from cosmological N-body simulations as input and applies analytic prescriptions to compute both the Population III (Pop III) and metal-enriched star formation histories. We have developed a novel method to accurately compute the major feedback processes affecting Pop III star formation: H$_2$ photodissociation from Lyman-Werner (LW) radiation, suppression of star formation due to inhomogeneous reionization, and metal enrichment …
Reionization in HESTIA: Studying reionization in the LG through zoom simulations
University of Sussex（萨塞克斯大学）；The University of Nottingham（诺丁汉大学）；Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)（波茨坦阿基米德天体物理研究所）；P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute（列别捷夫物理研究所）；Eastern Kentucky University（东肯塔基大学）
Recent measurements of the Luminosity Function (LF) of galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (EoR, $z\gsim6$) indicate a very steep increase of the number density of low-mass galaxies populating the LF faint-end. However, as star formation in low-mass halos can be easily depressed or even quenched by ionizing radiation, a turnover is expected at some faint UV magnitudes. Using a physically-motivated analytical model, we quantify reionization feedback effects on the LF faint-end shape. We find that if reionization feedback is neglected, the power-law Schechter parameterization characterizing th…
We investigate the effect of Dark Stars (DSs) on the reionization history of the Universe, and the interplay between them and feedback due to Lyman-Werner (LW) radiation in reducing the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) optical depth to a value within the $τ= 0.054 \pm 0.007$ range measured by Planck. We use a semi-analytic approach to evaluate reionization histories and CMB optical depths, which includes Population II (Pop II) stars in atomic cooling halos and Pop III stars in minihalos with LW feedback, preceded by a DS phase. We show that while LW feedback by itself can reduce the integrate…
We present a model for the formation of the first galaxies before and after the reionization of hydrogen in the early universe. In this model, galaxy formation can only take place in dark matter haloes whose mass exceeds a redshift-dependent critical value, which, before reionization, is equal (in the simplest case) to the mass at which atomic hydrogen cooling becomes effective and, after reionization, is equal to the mass above which gas cannot remain in hydrostatic equilibrium. We define the Halo Occupation Fraction (HOF) as the fraction of haloes that host a luminous galaxy as a function of…
We review two decades of progress using the Enzo hydrodynamic cosmology code to simulate the Cosmic Dawn, a period of roughly 1 billion years beginning with the formation of the first stars in the universe, and ending with cosmic reionization. Using simulations of increasing size and complexity, working up in length and mass scale and to lower redshifts, a connected narrative is built up covering the entire epoch. In the first part of the paper, we draw on results we and our collaborators have achieved using the Enzo cosmological adaptive mesh refinement code. Topics include the formation of P…
Galaxy Protoclusters as Drivers of Cosmic Reionization: II. Te-Based Metallicities of Lyman-α Emitters
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile（智利天主教 Pontificia 大学）；Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Science（拉斯坎帕纳斯天文台，卡内基科学）；University of California Santa Barbara（加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校）；Instituto de Astrofísica de la Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales（迭戈·波特莱斯大学工程与科学学院天体物理研究所）；Texas A&M University（德克萨斯农工大学）；George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University（德克萨斯农工大学乔治·P和辛西娅·伍兹基础物理与天文学研究所）；Caltech/IPAC（加州理工学院/IPAC）；Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo（东京大学宇宙射线研究所）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）
An emerging baryon cycle in a galaxy 500 million years after the Big Bang
School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS)（中国科学院大学天文与空间科学学院）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学天文与前沿科学研究院）；Department of Astronomy, Tsinghua University（清华大学天文系）；School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University（南京大学天文与空间科学学院）；Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University（北京大学物理学院天文系）；Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University（北京大学科维理天文与天体物理研究所）
