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Register a new userCANDELS: The Contribution of the Observed Galaxy Population to Cosmic Reionization
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Steven L. Finkelstein
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We present measurements of the specific ultraviolet luminosity density from a sample of 483 galaxies at 6<z<8. These galaxies were selected from new deep near-infrared HST imaging from the CANDELS, HUDF09 and ERS programs. In contrast to the majority of previous analyses, which assume that the distribution of galaxy ultraviolet (UV) luminosities follows a Schechter distribution, and that the distribution continues to luminosities far below our observable limit, we investigate the contribution to reionization from galaxies which we can observe, free from these assumptions. We find that the observable population of galaxies can sustain a fully reionized IGM at z=6, if the average ionizing photon escape fraction (f_esc) is ~30%. A number of previous studies have measured UV luminosity densities at these redshifts that vary by 5X, with many concluding that galaxies could not complete reionization by z=6 unless a large population of galaxies fainter than the detection limit were invoked, or extremely high values of f_esc were present. The observed UV luminosity density from our observed galaxy samples at z=7-8 is not sufficient to maintain a fully reionized IGM unless f_esc>50%. Combining our observations with constraints on the emission rate of ionizing photons from Ly-alpha forest observations at z=6, we can constrain f_esc<34% (2-sigma) if the observed galaxies are the only contributors to reionization, or <13% (2-sigma) if the luminosity function extends to M_UV = -13. These escape fractions are sufficient to complete reionization by z=6. These constraints imply that the volume ionized fraction of the IGM becomes less than unity at z>7, consistent with a number of complementary reionization probes. If faint galaxies dominate reionization, future JWST observations will probe deep enough to see them, providing an indirect constraint on the ionizing photon escape fraction [abridged].
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We study the escape fraction of ionizing photons (f_esc) in two cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxies in the reionization era with halo mass M_halo~10^10 and 10^11 M_sun (stellar mass M*~10^7 and 10^9 M_sun) at z=5 from the Feedback in Realistic Environments project. These simulations explicitly resolve the formation of proto-globular clusters (GCs) self-consistently, where 17-39% of stars form in bound clusters during starbursts. Using post-processing Monte Carlo radiative transfer calculations of ionizing radiation, we compute f_esc from cluster stars and non-cluster stars formed during a starburst over ~100 Myr in each galaxy. We find that the averaged f_esc over the lifetime of a star particle follows a similar distribution for cluster stars and non-cluster stars. Clusters tend to have low f_esc in the first few Myrs, presumably because they form preferentially in more extreme environments with high optical depths; the f_esc increases later as feedback starts to disrupt the natal cloud. On the other hand, non-cluster stars formed between cluster complexes or in the compressed shell at the front of a superbubble can also have high f_esc. We find that cluster stars on average have comparable f_esc to non-cluster stars. This result is robust across several star formation models in our simulations. Our results suggest that the fraction of ionizing photons from proto-GCs to cosmic reionization is comparable to the cluster formation efficiency in high-redshift galaxies and hence proto-GCs likely contribute an appreciable fraction of photons but are not the dominant sources for reionization.
Motivated by recent measurements of the number density of faint AGN at high redshift, we investigate the contribution of quasars to reionization by tracking the growth of central supermassive black holes in an update of the Meraxes semi-analytic model. The model is calibrated against the observed stellar mass function at $zsim0.6-7$, the black hole mass function at $zlesssim0.5$, the global ionizing emissivity at $zsim2-5$ and the Thomson scattering optical depth. The model reproduces a Magorrian relation in agreement with observations at $z<0.5$ and predicts a decreasing black hole mass towards higher redshifts at fixed total stellar mass. With the implementation of an opening angle of 80 deg for quasar radiation, corresponding to an observable fraction of ${sim}23.4$ per cent due to obscuration by dust, the model is able to reproduce the observed quasar luminosity function at $zsim0.6-6$. The stellar light from galaxies hosting faint AGN contributes a significant or dominant fraction of the UV flux. At high redshift, the model is consistent with the bright end quasar luminosity function and suggests that the recent faint $zsim4$ AGN sample compiled by Giallongo et al. (2015) includes a significant fraction of stellar light. Direct application of this luminosity function to the calculation of AGN ionizing emissivity consequently overestimates the number of ionizing photons produced by quasars by a factor of 3 at $zsim6$. We conclude that quasars are unlikely to make a significant contribution to reionization.
[abridged] We construct lightcones for the semi-analytic galaxy formation simulation of Guo et al. (2011) and make mock catalogues for comparison with deep high-redshift surveys. Photometric properties are calculated with two different stellar population synthesis codes (Bruzual & Charlot 2003; Maraston 2005) in order to study sensitivity to this aspect of the modelling. The catalogues are publicly available and include photometry for a large number of observed bands from 4000{deg}A to 6{mu}m, as well as rest-frame photometry and intrinsic properties of the galaxies. Guo et al. (2011) tuned their model to fit the low-redshift galaxy population but noted that at z > 1 it overpredicts the abundance of galaxies below the knee of the stellar mass function. Here we extend the comparison to deep galaxy counts in the B, i, J, K and IRAC 3.6{mu}m, 4.5{mu}m and 5.8{mu}m bands, to the redshift distributions of K and 5.8{mu}m selected galaxies, and to the evolution of rest-frame luminosity functions in the B and K bands. The B, i and J counts are well reproduced, but at longer wavelengths the overabundant high-redshift galaxies produce excess faint counts. The predicted redshift distributions for K and 5.8{mu}m selected samples highlight the effect of emission from thermally pulsing AGB stars. The full treatment of Maraston (2005) predicts three times as many z~2 galaxies in faint 5.8{mu}m selected samples as the model of Bruzual & Charlot (2003), whereas the two models give similar predictions for K-band selected samples. Although luminosity functions are adequately reproduced out to z~3 in rest-frame B, the same is true at rest-frame K only if TP-AGB emission is included, and then only at high luminosity. Fainter than L* the two synthesis models agree but overpredict the number of galaxies, another reflection of the overabundance of ~10^10Modot model galaxies at z > 1.
Lyman-$alpha$ (Ly$alpha$) emitting galaxies are powerful tools to probe the late stages of cosmic reionization. The observed sudden drop in Ly$alpha$ fraction at $z>6$ is often interpreted as a sign of reionization, since the intergalactic medium (IGM) is more neutral and opaque to Ly$alpha$ photons. Crucially, this interpretation of the observations is only valid under the assumption that galaxies themselves experience a minimal evolution at these epochs. By modelling Ly$alpha$ radiative transfer effects in and around galaxies, we examine whether a change in the galactic properties can reproduce the observed drop in the Ly$alpha$ fraction. We find that an increase in the galactic neutral hydrogen content or a reduction in the outflow velocity toward higher redshift both lead to a lower Ly$alpha$ escape fraction, and can thus mimic an increasing neutral fraction of the IGM. We furthermore find that this change in galactic properties leads to systematically different Ly$alpha$ spectra which can be used to differentiate the two competing effects. Using the CANDELSz7 survey measurements which indicate slightly broader lines at $zsim 6$, we find that the scenario of a mere increase in the galactic column density towards higher $z$ is highly unlikely. We also show that a decrease in outflow velocity is not ruled out by existing data but leads to more prominent blue peaks at $z>6$. Our results caution the use of Ly$alpha$ observations to estimate the IGM neutral fraction without accounting for the potential change in the galactic properties, e.g., by mapping out the evolution of Ly$alpha$ spectral characteristics.
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