University of Sussex
Browse
MNRAS-2012-Jensen-mnras-sts116.pdf (2.7 MB)

On the use of Lya emitters as probes of reionization

Download (2.7 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 15:12 authored by Hannes Jensen, Peter Laursen, Garrelt Mellema, Ilian IlievIlian Iliev, Jesper Sommer-Larsen, Paul R Shapiro
We use numerical simulations to study the effects of the patchiness of a partly reionized intergalactic medium (IGM) on the observability of Lya emitters (LAEs) at high redshifts (z ? 6). We present a new model that divides the Lya radiative transfer into a (circum)galactic and an extragalactic (IGM) part, and investigate how the choice of intrinsic line model affects the IGM transmission results. We use our model to study the impact of neutral hydrogen on statistical observables such as the Lya rest-frame equivalent width (REW) distribution, the LAE luminosity function and the two-point correlation function. We find that if the observed changes in LAE luminosity functions and equivalent width distributions between z ~ 6 and 7 are to be explained by an increased IGM neutral fraction alone, we require an extremely late and rapid reionization scenario, where the Universe was ~40 per cent ionized at z = 7, ~50 per cent ionized at z = 6.5 and ~100 per cent ionized at z = 6. This is in conflict with other observations, suggesting that intrinsic LAE evolution at z ? 6 cannot be completely neglected. We show how the two-point correlation function can provide more robust constraints once future observations obtain larger LAE samples, and provide predictions for the sample sizes needed to tell different reionization scenarios apart.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

ISSN

0035-8711

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Issue

2

Volume

428

Page range

1366-1381

Department affiliated with

  • Physics and Astronomy Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2013-06-10

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2016-03-22

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-08-17

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC