Kulkarni, G;
Keating, LC;
Haehnelt, MG;
Bosman, SEI;
Puchwein, E;
Chardin, J;
Aubert, D;
(2019)
Large Lyman-alpha opacity fluctuations and low CMB tau in models of late reionization with large islands of neutral hydrogen extending to z<5.5.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
, 485
(1)
L24-L28.
10.1093/mnrasl/slz025.
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Abstract
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 reproduces this large scatter and the rapid evolution of the Ly-alpha opacity distribution at 5<z<6. The simulation also reproduces the low Thomson scattering optical depth reported by the latest CMB measurement and is consistent with the observed short near-zones and strong red damping wings in the highest-redshift QSOs. It also matches the rapid disappearance of observed Ly-alpha emission by galaxies at z>~6. Reionization is complete at z=5.3 in our model, and 50% of the volume of the Universe is ionized at z=7. Agreement with the Ly-alpha forest data in such a late reionization model requires a rapid evolution of the ionizing emissivity of galaxies that peaks at z~6.8. The late end of reionization results in a large scatter in the photoionisation rate and the neutral hydrogen fraction at redshifts as low as z<~5.5 with large residual neutral 'islands' that can produce very long Gunn-Peterson troughs resembling those seen in the data.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Large Lyman-alpha opacity fluctuations and low CMB tau in models of late reionization with large islands of neutral hydrogen extending to z<5.5 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1093/mnrasl/slz025 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slz025 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is the published version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | radiative transfer, galaxies: high-redshift, intergalactic medium, quasars: absorption lines, dark ages, reionization, first stars |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10073470 |
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