Related papers: A New Approach for Constraining Large-Scale Temper…
Observations of the Lyman-alpha (Ly-$\alpha$) forest may allow reionization to complete as late as $z \sim 5.5$, provided the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) is sufficiently inhomogeneous at these redshifts. In this case,…
Intergalactic medium temperature is a powerful probe of the epoch of reionisation, as information is retained long after reionisation itself. However, mean temperatures are highly degenerate with the timing of reionisation, with the amount…
We investigate the 21-cm signature that may arise from the intergalactic medium (IGM) prior to the epoch of full reionization (z>5). In scenarios in which the IGM is reionized by discrete sources of photoionizing radiation, the neutral gas…
We present the first constraints on the electron optical depth to reionization, $\tau_{\mathrm{e}}$, from the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest alone for physically motivated reionization models that match the reionization's end-point, $z_{\rm{end}}$,…
We present new measurements of the thermal state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at $z\sim2.4$ derived from absorption line profiles in the Ly$\alpha$ forest. We use a large set of high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations to calibrate…
We present a computationally efficient and fast semi-numerical technique for simulating the Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) absorption optical depth in presence of neutral hydrogen "islands" left over from reionization at redshifts $5 \lesssim…
The intergalactic medium (IGM) prior to the epoch of reionization consists mostly of neutral hydrogen gas. Ly-alpha photons produced by early stars resonantly scatter off hydrogen atoms, causing energy exchange between the radiation field…
We present an analysis of the evolution of the Lyman-series forest into the epoch of reionization using cosmological radiative transfer simulations in a scenario where reionization ends late. We explore models with different midpoints of…
We report new measurements of the intergalactic medium (IGM) Ly$\alpha$ and Ly$\beta$ effective optical depth at $5.3<z<6.5$, using a new sample of quasar sightlines including 32 quasars at $6.308\le z\le7.00$. These quasars provide a large…
Our understanding of the intergalactic medium at redshifts $z=5$-$6$ has improved considerably in the last few years due to the discovery of quasars with $z>6$ that enable Lyman-$\alpha$ forest studies at these redshifts. A realisation from…
We present measurements of the mean and scatter of the IGM Lyman-{\alpha} opacity at 4.9 < z < 6.1 along the lines of sight of 62 quasars at z > 5.7, the largest sample assembled at these redshifts to date by a factor of two. The sample…
We have modelled the process of reionization of the IGM by photoionization by galaxies, in order to predict the epoch of reionization. We use a sophisticated semi-analytic model to track the formation of galaxies. Our study represents a…
A late end to reionisation at redshift $z\simeq 5.3$ is consistent with observed spatial variations in the Ly$\alpha$ forest transmission and the deficit of Ly$\alpha$ emitting galaxies around extended Ly$\alpha$ absorption troughs at…
Three independent observational studies have now detected a narrow (\Delta z ~ 0.5) dip centred at z=3.2 in the otherwise smooth redshift evolution of the Lya forest effective optical depth. This feature has previously been interpreted as…
The high-redshift intergalactic medium (IGM) and the primeval galaxy population are rapidly becoming the new frontier of extra-galactic astronomy. We investigate the IGM properties and their connection to galaxies at $z\geq5.5$ under…
The large cross-section of the Lyman alpha (Lya) line makes it a sensitive probe of the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Here we present the most complete study to date of the IGM Lya opacity, and its application to the…
We study the observability of the reionization epoch through the 21 cm hyperfine transition of neutral hydrogen. We use a high-resolution cosmological simulation (including hydrodynamics) together with a fast radiative transfer algorithm to…
Recent observations have set the first constraints on the epoch of reionization (EoR), corresponding to the formation epoch of the first luminous objects. Studies of Gunn-Peterson (GP) absorption, and related phenomena, suggest a…
We examine the prospects for studying the pre-reionization intergalactic medium (IGM) through the so-called 21 cm forest in spectra of bright high-redshift radio sources. We first compute the evolution of the mean optical depth for models…
Detections and non-detections of Lyman alpha (Ly$\alpha$) emission from $z>6$ galaxies ($<1$ Gyr after the Big Bang) can be used to measure the timeline of cosmic reionization. Of key interest to measuring reionization's mid-stages, but…