Related papers: The ionizing background at the end of overlap
The reionization of cosmic hydrogen marks a critical juncture in the history of structure formation in the universe. Here we present a new formulation of the standard reionization equation for the evolution of the volume-averaged HII…
We present predictions for the fluorescent Lyman-alpha emission signature arising from photoionized, optically thick structures in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) cosmological simulations of a Lambda-CDM universe using a Monte Carlo…
Observed scatter in the Lyman-alpha opacity of quasar sightlines at $z<6$ has motivated measurements of the correlation between Ly$\alpha$ opacity and galaxy density, as models that predict this scatter make strong and sometimes opposite…
Known populations of QSOs appear to fall short of producing the ionizing flux required for re-ionizing the universe. The alternative, galaxies as sources of ionizing photons, suffers from the problem that known types of galaxies are almost…
The observed large-scale scatter in Lyman $\alpha$ opacity of the intergalactic medium at $z<6$ implies large fluctuations in the neutral hydrogen fraction that are unexpected long after reionization has ended. A number of models have…
Several Lyman-alpha (Ly$\alpha$) emitters deep into the reionization era exhibit double-peaked Ly$\alpha$ emission profiles, raising the question of how the intergalactic medium can transmit photons blueward of the Ly$\alpha$ resonance at…
The transmission of Lyman-{\alpha} (Ly{\alpha}) in the spectra of distant quasars depends on the density, temperature, and ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Therefore, high-redshift (z > 5) Ly{\alpha} forests could be…
Recent observations of the Lyman-alpha forest show large-scale spatial variations in the intergalactic Lyman-alpha opacity that grow rapidly with redshift at z>5, far in excess of expectations from empirically motivated models. Previous…
The temporal evolution of the ionizing UV background radiation field at high redshift provides a probe of the evolution of the early star formation rate. By comparing the observed levels of absorption in the highest redshift quasar spectra…
The spectra of the first galaxies and quasars in the Universe should be strongly absorbed shortward of their rest-frame Lyman-alpha wavelength by neutral hydrogen (HI) in the intervening intergalactic medium. However, the Lyman-alpha line…
We present constraints on the reionization optical depth, $\tau$, obtained using several independent methods. First, we perform a non-parametric reconstruction of the reionization history, using Lyman-$\alpha$ constraints on the evolution…
There are only a few ways to constrain the Era of Reionization and the properties of high redshift (z>6) stars through observations. Here, we discuss one of these observables - the spectrum of the Near Infrared Background - and how it is…
We present a quantitative model of Lyman-alpha (Ly-alpha) emission throughout cosmic history and determine the prospects for intensity mapping of spatial fluctuations in the Ly-alpha signal. Since i) our model assumes at z>6 the minimum…
The amplitude of the metagalactic ultraviolet background (UVB) at large-scales is impacted by two factors. First, it naturally attenuates at scales larger than mean-free-path of UVB photons due to the absorption by neutral intergalactic…
The inhomogeneous cosmological reionization process leaves tangible imprints in the intergalactic medium down to z=4-5. The Lyman-alpha forest flux power spectrum provides a potentially powerful probe of the epoch of reionization. With the…
The reionization epoch concludes when ionizing photons reach every corner of the Universe. Reionization has generally been assumed to be limited primarily by the rate at which galaxies produce ionizing photons, but the recent measurement of…
An important characteristic of cosmic hydrogen reionization is the growth of ionized gas bubbles surrounding early luminous objects. Ionized bubble sizes are beginning to be probed using Lyman-$\alpha$ emission from high-redshift galaxies,…
We re-examine scattering of photons near the Lyman-alpha resonance in the intergalactic medium (IGM). We first derive a general integral solution for the radiation field around resonance when spin diffusivity is ignored. Our solution shows…
The WMAP satellite has measured a large optical depth to electron scattering after cosmological recombination of 0.17+-0.04, implying significant reionization of the primordial gas only ~200 million years after the big bang. However, the…
High-redshift QSO spectra show large spatial fluctuations in the Ly-alpha opacity of the intergalactic medium on surprisingly large scales at z>~5.5. We present a radiative transfer simulation of cosmic reionization driven by galaxies that…