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Register a new userLight cone anisotropy in 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization
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Karolina Zawada Ph.D.
Publication date
2014
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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Using a suite of detailed numerical simulations we estimate the level of anisotropy generated by the time evolution along the light cone of the 21cm signal from the epoch of reionization. Our simulations include the physics necessary to model the signal during both the late emission regime and the early absorption regime, namely X-ray and Lyman-band 3D radiative transfer in addition to the usual dynamics and ionizing UV transfer. The signal is analysed using correlation functions perpendicular and parallel to the line of sight (LOS). We reproduce general findings from previous theoretical studies: the overall amplitude of the correlations and the fact that the light cone anisotropy is visible only on large scales (100 cMpc). However, the detailed behaviour is different. At 3 different epochs, the amplitude of the correlations along and perpendicular to the LOS differ from each other, indicating anisotropy. These 3 epochs are associated with 3 events of the global reionization history: the overlap of ionized bubbles, the onset of mild heating by X-rays in regions around the sources, and the onset of efficient Lyman-alpha coupling in regions around the sources. A 20x20 deg^2 survey area may be necessary to mitigate sample variance when we use the directional correlation functions. On a 100 cMpc scale the light cone anisotropy dominates over the anisotropy generated by peculiar velocity gradients computed in the linear regime. By modelling instrumental noise and limited resolution, we find that the anisotropy should be easily detectable by the SKA, assuming perfect foreground removal, the limiting factor being a large enough survey size. In the case of the LOFAR, it is likely that only first anisotropy episode will fall in the observing frequency range and will be detectable only if sample variance is much reduced (i.e. a larger than 20x20 deg^2 survey, which is not presently planned).
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The motion of the solar system with respect to the cosmic rest frame modulates the monopole of the Epoch of Reionization 21-cm signal into a dipole. This dipole has a characteristic frequency dependence that is dominated by the frequency derivative of the monopole signal. We argue that although the signal is weaker by a factor of $sim100$, there are significant benefits in measuring the dipole. Most importantly, the direction of the cosmic velocity vector is known exquisitely well from the cosmic microwave background and is not aligned with the galaxy velocity vector that modulates the foreground monopole. Moreover, an experiment designed to measure a dipole can rely on differencing patches of the sky rather than making an absolute signal measurement, which helps with some systematic effects.
It is predicted that sources emitting UV radiation in the Lyman band during the epoch of reionization (EoR) showed a series of discontinuities in their Ly-alpha flux radial profile as a consequence of the thickness of the Lyman line series in the primeval intergalactic medium. Through unsaturated Wouthuysen-Field coupling, these spherical discontinuities are also present in the 21 cm emission of the neutral IGM. In this article, we study the effects these discontinuities have on the differential brightness temperature of the 21 cm signal of neutral hydrogen in a realistic setting including all other sources of fluctuations. We focus on the early phases of the EoR, and we address the question of the detectability by the planned Square Kilometre Array. Such a detection would be of great interest, because these structures could provide an unambiguous diagnostic for the cosmological origin of the signal remaining after the foreground cleaning procedure. Also, they could be used as a new type of standard rulers. We determine the differential brightness temperature of the 21 cm signal in the presence of inhomogeneous Wouthuysen-Field effect using simulations which include (hydro)dynamics and both ionizing and Lyman lines 3D radiative transfer with the code LICORICE. We find that the Lyman horizons are clearly visible on the maps and radial profiles around the first sources of our simulations, but for a limited time interval, typically Delta z approx 2 at z sim 13. Stacking the profiles of the different sources of the simulation at a given redshift results in extending this interval to Delta z approx 4. When we take into account the implementation and design planned for the SKA (collecting area, sensitivity, resolution), we find that detection will be challenging. It may be possible with a 10 km diameter for the core, but will be difficult with the currently favored design of a 5 km core.
Studying the cosmic dawn and the epoch of reionization through the redshifted 21 cm line are among the major science goals of the SKA1. Their significance lies in the fact that they are closely related to the very first stars in the universe. Interpreting the upcoming data would require detailed modelling of the relevant physical processes. In this article, we focus on the theoretical models of reionization that have been worked out by various groups working in India with the upcoming SKA in mind. These models include purely analytical and semi-numerical calculations as well as fully numerical radiative transfer simulations. The predictions of the 21 cm signal from these models would be useful in constraining the properties of the early galaxies using the SKA data.
Observations of redshifted 21-cm radiation from neutral hydrogen during the epoch of reionization (EoR) are considered to constitute the most promising tool to probe that epoch. One of the major goals of the first generation of low frequency radio telescopes is to measure the 3D 21-cm power spectrum. However, the 21-cm signal could evolve substantially along the line of sight (LOS) direction of an observed 3D volume, since the received signal from different planes transverse to the LOS originated from different look-back times and could therefore be statistically different. Using numerical simulations we investigate this so-called light cone effect on the spherically averaged 3D 21-cm power spectrum. For this version of the power spectrum, we find that the effect mostly `averages out and observe a smaller change in the power spectrum compared to the amount of evolution in the mean 21-cm signal and its rms variations along the LOS direction. Nevertheless, changes up to 50% at large scales are possible. In general the power is enhanced/suppressed at large/small scales when the effect is included. The cross-over mode below/above which the power is enhanced/suppressed moves toward larger scales as reionization proceeds. When considering the 3D power spectrum we find it to be anisotropic at the late stages of reionization and on large scales. The effect is dominated by the evolution of the ionized fraction of hydrogen during reionization and including peculiar velocities hardly changes these conclusions. We present simple analytical models which explain qualitatively all the features we see in the simulations.
Measurements of the HI 21-cm power spectra from the reionization epoch will be influenced by the evolution of the signal along the line-of-sight direction of any observed volume. We use numerical as well as semi-numerical simulations of reionization in a cubic volume of 607 Mpc across to study this so-called light cone effect on the HI 21-cm power spectrum. We find that the light cone effect has the largest impact at two different stages of reionization: one when reionization is $sim 20%$ and other when it is $sim 80%$ completed. We find a factor of $sim 4$ amplification of the power spectrum at the largest scale available in our simulations. We do not find any significant anisotropy in the 21-cm power spectrum due to the light cone effect. We argue that for the power spectrum to become anisotropic, the light cone effect would have to make the ionized bubbles significantly elongated or compressed along the line-of-sight, which would require extreme reionization scenarios. We also calculate the two-point correlation functions parallel and perpendicular to the line-of-sight and find them to differ. Finally, we calculate an optimum frequency bandwidth below which the light cone effect can be neglected when extracting power spectra from observations. We find that if one is willing to accept a $10 %$ error due to the light cone effect, the optimum frequency bandwidth for $k= 0.056 , rm{Mpc}^{-1}$ is $sim 7.5$ MHz. For $k = 0.15$ and $0.41 , rm{Mpc}^{-1}$ the optimum bandwidth is $sim 11$ and $sim 16$ MHz respectively.
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