Related papers: On the contribution of active galactic nuclei to r…
In this paper we discuss the contribution of different astrophysical sources to the ionization of neutral hydrogen at different redshifts. We critically revise the arguments in favour/against a substantial contribution of Active Galactic…
Understanding the detailed process of cosmic reionization is one of the remaining problems in astrophysics and cosmology. Here we construct a model of cosmic reionization that includes contribution from high-$z$ galaxies and active galactic…
The combination of the $z=0-13.5$ cosmic star formation history and active galactic nuclei (AGN) luminosity history as inferred by the James Webb Space Telescope is connected to the cosmic spectral energy distribution (CSED) to explore the…
We examine the contribution of high-redshift (z>6) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to cosmic hydrogen reionization, by tracing the growth and ionizing output of the first generation of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Our calculations are…
The cosmological process of hydrogen (HI) reionization in the intergalactic medium is thought to be driven by UV photons emitted by star-forming galaxies and ionizing active galactic nuclei (AGN). The contribution of QSOs to HI reionization…
We assess a model of late cosmic reionization in which the ionizing background radiation arises entirely from high redshift quasars and other active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The low optical depth to Thomson scattering reported by the Planck…
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…
We use a wide-field (0.9 square degree) X-ray sample with optical and GALEX ultraviolet observations to measure the contribution of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) to the ionizing flux as a function of redshift. Our analysis shows that the…
The evolution of the luminosity function (LF) of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) at $z \gtrsim 5$ represents a key constraint to understand their contribution to the ionizing photon budget necessary to trigger the last phase transition in the…
We reinvestigate a claimed sample of 22 X-ray detected active galactic nuclei (AGN) at redshifts z > 4, which has reignited the debate as to whether young galaxies or AGN reionized the Universe. These sources lie within the GOODS-S/CANDELS…
Ultraviolet (UV) and X-ray photons from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can ionize hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM). We solve radiative transfer around AGNs in high redshift to evaluate the 21-cm line emission from the neutral…
Cosmic reionization represents the latest phase transition in the Universe, when the Lyman continuum (LyC) photons turned the intergalactic medium (IGM) from neutral to highly ionized. It has long been debated whether galaxies or active…
It is a widespread opinion that hydrogen reionization is mainly driven by primeval star-forming galaxies, with a minor role of high-z active galactic nuclei. Recent observations, however, challenge this notion, indicating a number of issues…
The origin of the ionizing photons that completed hydrogen reionization remains debated. Using recent JWST and ground-based surveys at 4.5 <= z <= 6.5, we construct a unified rest-UV AGN luminosity function that separates unobscured Type I…
Cosmic reionization put an end to the dark ages that came after the recombination era. Observations seem to favor the scenario where massive stars generating photons in low-mass galaxies were responsible for the bulk of reionization. Even…
With its sensitivity in the rest-frame optical, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has uncovered active galactic nuclei (AGN), comprising both intrinsically faint and heavily reddened sources, well into the first billion years of the…
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) forming in the early universe are thought to be the primary source of hard ionizing photons contributing to the reionization of intergalactic helium. However, the number density and spectral properties of…
Motivated by the claimed detection of a large population of faint active galactic nuclei (AGN) at high redshift, recent studies have proposed models in which AGN contribute significantly to the z > 4 H I ionizing background. In some models,…
Deep surveys with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed an emergent population of moderate-luminosity, broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 4< z< 14 powered by accretion onto early massive black holes. The high number…
We present new measurements of the intensity of the ionizing ultraviolet background and the global emissivity of ionizing photons over 2 < z < 5. Our results are based on a suite of updated measurements of physical properties of the…