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Register a new userA short mean free path at $z=6$ favors late and rapid reionization by faint galaxies
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Recent measurements of the ionizing photon mean free path ($lambda_{912}^{rm mfp}$) at $5 < z < 6$ suggest that the IGM was rapidly evolving at those times. We use radiative transfer simulations to explore the implications for reionization, with a focus on the short value of $lambda_{912}^{rm mfp} = 3.57^{+3.09}_{-2.14}$ cMpc/$h$ at $z=6$. We introduce a model for sub-resolution ionizing photon sinks based on radiative hydrodynamics simulations of small-scale IGM clumping. We argue that the rapid evolution in $lambda_{912}^{rm mfp}$ at $z=5-6$, together with constraints on the metagalactic ionizing background, favors a late reionization process in which the neutral fraction evolved rapidly in the latter half. We also argue that the short $lambda_{912}^{rm mfp}(z=6)$ points to faint galaxies as the primary drivers of reionizaton. Our preferred model, with $lambda_{912}^{rm mfp}(z=6) = 6.5$ Mpc/$h$, has a midpoint of $z= 7.1$ and ends at $z= 5.1$. It requires 3 ionizing photons per H atom to complete reionization and a LyC photon production efficiency of $log(f^{rm eff}_{rm esc} xi_{rm ion}/[mathrm{erg}^{-1} mathrm{Hz}]) = 24.8$ at $z>6$. Recovering $lambda_{912}^{rm mfp}(z=6)$ as low as the measured central value may require an increase in IGM clumpiness beyond predictions from simulations, with a commensurate increase in the photon budget.
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The mean free path of ionizing photons, $lambda_{rm mfp}$, is a key factor in the photoionization of the intergalactic medium (IGM). At $z gtrsim 5$, however, $lambda_{rm mfp}$ may be short enough that measurements towards QSOs are biased by the QSO proximity effect. We present new direct measurements of $lambda_{rm mfp}$ that address this bias and extend up to $z sim 6$ for the first time. Our measurements at $z sim 5$ are based on data from the Giant Gemini GMOS survey and new Keck LRIS observations of low-luminosity QSOs. At $z sim 6$ we use QSO spectra from Keck ESI and VLT X-Shooter. We measure $lambda_{rm mfp} = 9.09^{+1.62}_{-1.28}$ proper Mpc and $0.75^{+0.65}_{-0.45}$ proper Mpc (68% confidence) at $z = 5.1$ and 6.0, respectively. The results at $z = 5.1$ are consistent with existing measurements, suggesting that bias from the proximity effect is minor at this redshift. At $z = 6.0$, however, we find that neglecting the proximity effect biases the result high by a factor of two or more. Our measurement at $z = 6.0$ falls well below extrapolations from lower redshifts, indicating rapid evolution in $lambda_{rm mfp}$ over $5 < z < 6$. This evolution disfavors models in which reionization ended early enough that the IGM had time to fully relax hydrodynamically by $z = 6$, but is qualitatively consistent with models wherein reionization completed at $z = 6$ or even significantly later. Our mean free path results are most consistent with late reionization models wherein the IGM is still 20% neutral at $z=6$, although our measurement at $z = 6.0$ is even lower than these models prefer.
Recent studies suggest that faint active galactic nuclei may be responsible for the reionization of the universe. Confirmation of this scenario requires spectroscopic identification of faint quasars ($M_{1450}>-24$ mag) at $z gtrsim6$, but only a very small number of such quasars have been spectroscopically identified so far. Here, we report the discovery of a faint quasar IMS J220417.92+011144.8 at z~6 in a 12.5 deg$^{2}$ region of the SA22 field of the Infrared Medium-deep Survey (IMS). The spectrum of the quasar shows a sharp break at $sim8443~rm{AA}$, with emission lines redshifted to $z=5.944 pm 0.002$ and rest-frame ultraviolet continuum magnitude $M_{1450}=-23.59pm0.10$ AB mag. The discovery of IMS J220417.92+011144.8 is consistent with the expected number of quasars at z~6 estimated from quasar luminosity functions based on previous observations of spectroscopically identified low-luminosity quasars . This suggests that the number of $M_{1450}sim-23$ mag quasars at z~6 may not be high enough to fully account for the reionization of the universe. In addition, our study demonstrates that faint quasars in the early universe can be identified effectively with a moderately wide and deep near-infrared survey such as the IMS.
The high redshift Lyman-alpha forest, in particular the Gunn-Peterson trough, is the most unambiguous signature of the neutral to ionized transition of the intergalactic medium (IGM) taking place during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Recent studies, e.g. Kulkarni et al. (2019a) and Keating et al. (2019), showed that reproducing the observed Lyman-alpha opacities after overlap required a non-monotonous evolution of cosmic emissivity: rising, peaking at z=6, and then decreasing onwards to z=4. Such an evolution is puzzling considering galaxy build-up and the cosmic star formation rate are still continously on the rise at these epochs. Here, we use new RAMSES-CUDATON simulations to show that such a peaked evolution may occur naturally in a fully coupled radiation-hydrodynamical framework. In our fiducial run, cosmic emissivity at z>6 is dominated by a low mass (M$_{rm DM}<2.10^9$ M$_{odot}$), high escape fraction halo population, driving reionization, up to overlap. Approaching z=6, this population is radiatively suppressed due to the rising ionizing UV background, and its emissivity drops. In the meantime, the high mass halo population builds up and its emissivity rises, but not fast enough to compensate the dimming of the low mass haloes, because of low escape fractions. The combined ionizing emissivity of these two populations therefore naturally results in a rise and fall of the cosmic emissivity, from z=12 to z=4, with a peak at z=6. An alternative run, which features higher escape fractions for the high mass haloes and later suppression at low mass, leads to overshooting the ionizing rate, over-ionizing the IGM and therefore too low Lyman-alpha opacities.
We report results of a unprecedentedly deep, blind search for Ly-alpha emitters (LAEs) at z = 5.7 using IMACS, the Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera & Spectrograph, with the goal of identifying missing sources of reionization that could also be basic building blocks for todays L* galaxies. We describe how improvements in wide field imaging with the Baade telescope, upgrades to IMACS, and the accumulation of ~20 hours of integration per field in excellent seeing led to the detection of single-emission-line sources as faint as F ~ 2 x 10^{-18} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2}, a sensitivity 5 times deeper than our first search (Martin et al. 2008). A reasonable correction for foreground interlopers implies a steep rise of approximately an order of magnitude in source density for a factor of four drop in flux, from F = 10^{-17.0} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2} to F = 10^{-17.6} (2.5) x 10^{-18} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2}. At this flux the putative LAEs have reached a surface density of ~1 per sq arcminute -- a comoving volume density of 4 x 10^{-3} Mpc^{-3}, several times the density of L* galaxies today. Such a population of faint LAEs would account for a significant fraction of the critical flux density required to complete reionization at this epoch, and would be good candidates for building blocks of stellar mass ~10^{8-9} Msun for the young galaxies of this epoch.
While the average metallicity of the intergalactic medium rises above Z~10^{-3} Zsun by the end of the reionization, pockets of metal-free gas can still exist at later times. We quantify the presence of a long tail in the formation rate of metal-free halos during late stages of reionization (redshift z~6), which might offer the best window to detect Population III stars. Using cosmological simulations for the growth of dark matter halos, coupled with analytical recipes for the metal enrichment of their interstellar medium, we show that pockets of metal-free gas exist at z~6 even under the assumption of high efficiency in metal pollution via winds. A comoving metal-free halo formation rate d^2n/dtdV > 10^{-9} Mpc^{-3}yr^{-1} is expected at z=6 for halos with virial temperature T_{vir}~10^4 K (mass ~10^8 Msun), sufficient to initiate cooling even with strong negative radiative feedback. Under the assumption of a single Population III supernova formed per metal-free halo, we expect an observed supernova rate of 2.6x10^{-3} deg^{-2}yr^{-1} in the same redshift range. These metal-free stars and their supernovae will be isolated and outside galaxies (at distances >150 h^{-1} kpc) and thus significantly less biased than the general population of ~10^8 Msun halos at z~6. Supernova searches for metal-free explosions must thus rely on large area surveys. If metal-free stars produce very luminous supernovae, like SN2006gy, then a multi-epoch survey reaching m_AB =27 at 1 micron is sufficient for detecting them at z=6. While the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will not reach this depth in the z band, it will be able to detect several tens of Population III supernovae in the i and r bands at z <5.5, when their observed rate is down to 3-8x10^{-4} deg^{-2} yr^{-1}.
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