Lyman alpha Radiative Transfer with Dust: Escape Fractions from Simulated High-Redshift Galaxies

Abstract

The Lyman alpha emission line is an essential diagnostic tool for probing galaxy formation and evolution. Not only is it commonly the strongest observable line from high-redshift galaxies but from its shape detailed information about its host galaxy can be revealed. However, due to the scattering nature of Lya photons increasing their path length in a non-trivial way, if dust is present in the galaxy the line may be severely suppressed and its shape altered. In order to interpret observations correctly, it is thus of crucial significance to know how much of the emitted light actually escapes the galaxy. In the present work, using a combination of high-resolution cosmological hydro-simulations and an adaptively refinable Monte Carlo Lya radiative transfer code including an advanced model of dust, the escape fractions f_esc of Lya radiation from high-redshift (z = 3.6) galaxies are calculated. In addition to the average escape fraction, the variation of f_esc in different directions and from different parts of the galaxies is investigated, as well as the effect on the emergent spectrum. Escape fractions from a sample of simulated galaxies of representative physical properties are found to decrease for increasing galaxy virial mass M_vir, from f_esc approaching unity for M_vir ~ 10^9 M_sun to f_esc less than 10% for M_vir ~ 10^12 M_sun. In spite of the dust being almost grey, it is found that the emergent spectrum is affected non-uniformly, with the escape fraction of photons close to the line center being much higher than of those in the wings, thus effectively narrowing the Lya line.

Submitted to ApJ; comments are very welcome

References in corpus (25)

• An Analysis of the Shapes of Interstellar Extinction Curves. V. The IR-Through-UV Curve Morphology
• The Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS). IV. Evolution of Lya Emitters from z=3.1 to 5.7 in the 1 deg^2 Field: Luminosity Functions and AGN
• 3D Lyman-alpha radiation transfer. I. Understanding Lyman-alpha line profile morphologies
• Ly-alpha Emission-Line Galaxies at z = 3.1 in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South
• Dust and the type II-plateau supernova 2004et
• 3D Lyman-alpha radiation transfer. III. Constraints on gas and stellar properties of z~3 Lyman break galaxies (LBG) and implications for high-z LBGs and Lyman-alpha emitters(LAEs)
• The line-of-sight towards GRB 030429 at z = 2.66: Probing the matter at stellar, galactic and intergalactic scales
• A submillimetre galaxy at z=4.76 in the LABOCA survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South
• Where are the ``Missing'' Galactic Baryons?
• Lyman alpha Resonant Scattering in Young Galaxies - Predictions from Cosmological Simulations
• On the Detectability of Lyman-alpha Emission in Star-forming Galaxies: The Role of Dust
• Effects of Dust Geometry in Lyman Alpha Galaxies at z = 4.4
• Lyman alpha Radiative Transfer in Cosmological Simulations using Adaptive Mesh Refinement
• Dust and the type II-Plateau supernova 2004dj
• Dust properties at z=6.3 in the host galaxy of GRB 050904
• Lyman Alpha Emitters in the Hierarchically Clustering Galaxy Formation
• Winds of M- and S-type AGB stars: an unorthodox suggestion for the driving mechanism
• Detection of the 2175Å~ extinction feature and 21-cm absorption in two MgII systems at z~1.3
• The Dust Content of Galaxy Clusters
• Lyman Alpha Emitter Evolution in the Reionization Epoch
• Three intervening galaxy absorbers towards GRB060418: faint and dusty?
• Observations of X-rays and Thermal Dust Emission from the Supernova Remnant Kes 75
• The Infrared Luminosity of Galaxy Clusters
• Modeling Lyman continuum emission from young galaxies
• Narrow-band surveys for very high redshift Lyman-alpha emitters

Cited by in corpus (132)

• Cool Outflows in Galaxies and their Implications
• Diffuse Lyman Alpha Emitting Halos: A Generic Property of High Redshift Star Forming Galaxies
• Absorption line systems in simulated galaxies fed by cold streams
• Lyman Alpha Emitting Galaxies as a Probe of Reionization
• Large Area Survey for z=7 Galaxies in SDF and GOODS-N: Implications for Galaxy Formation and Cosmic Reionization
• On the redshift-evolution of the Lyman-alpha escape fraction and the dust content of galaxies
• Lyman-alpha Cooling Emission from Galaxy Formation
• The optically unbiased GRB host (TOUGH) survey. I. Survey design and catalogs
• Intergalactic Transmission and its Impact on the Lyα Line
• The Ly-alpha Properties of Faint Galaxies at z2-3 with Systemic Redshifts and Velocity Dispersions from Keck-MOSFIRE
• Diffuse Lyman-alpha Halos around Galaxies at z=2.2-6.6: Implications for Galaxy Formation and Cosmic Reionization
• What is the physical origin of strong Lya emission? II. Gas Kinematics and Distribution of Lya Emitters
• The LyA-LyC Connection: Evidence for an Enhanced Contribution of UV-faint Galaxies to Cosmic Reionization
• Lyman-alpha emission properties of simulated galaxies: interstellar medium structure and inclination effects
• The Lyman alpha Reference Sample: II. HST imaging results, integrated properties and trends
• The population of Milky Way satellites in the LambdaCDM cosmology
• Gravitationally Lensed Galaxies at 2<z<3.5: Direct Abundance Measurements of Lya Emitters
• Galaxy Counterparts of metal-rich Damped Lyman-alpha Absorbers - I: The case of the z=2.35 DLA towards Q2222-0946
• The Lyman-alpha Reference Sample: I. Survey outline and first results for Markarian 259
• Line Transfer through Clumpy, Large-Scale Outflows: Lyman Alpha Absorption and Halos around Starforming Galaxies
• The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample: V. The impact of neutral ISM kinematics and geometry on Lyman Alpha escape
• Understanding the escape of LyC and Ly$\alpha$ photons from turbulent clouds
• The physics of Lyman-alpha escape from high-redshift galaxies
• The Kinematics of Multiple-Peaked Ly-alpha Emission in Star-Forming Galaxies at z~2-3
• Consensus report on 25 years of searches for damped Ly$\alpha$ galaxies in emission: Confirming their metallicity-luminosity relation at $z\gtrsim 2$
• New Insights into the Evolution of Massive Stars and Their Effects on Our Understanding of Early Galaxies
• Discovery of a compact gas-rich DLA galaxy at z = 2.2: evidences for a starburst-driven outflow
• Lyman Radiation Hydrodynamics of Turbulent H II Regions in Molecular Clouds: A Physical Origin of LyC Leakage and the Associated Ly$\alpha$ Spectra
• A systematic study of Lyman-Alpha transfer through outflowing shells: Model parameter estimation
• Galaxy counterparts of metal-rich damped Lyman-alpha absorbers - II. A solar-metallicity and dusty DLA at z_abs=2.58
• On the (non-)enhancement of the Lyman α equivalent width by a multiphase interstellar medium
• On the Use of Ly-alpha Emitters as Probes of Reionization
• LyC escape from SPHINX galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization
• Ly$\alpha$ Spectra from Multiphase Outflows, and their Connection to Shell Models
• Grid of Lya radiation transfer models for the interpretation of distant galaxies
• Lyman alpha Emitting Galaxies in the Nearby Universe
• Lyman-alpha line and continuum radiative transfer in a clumpy interstellar medium
• Comprehensive Study of a z = 2.35 DLA Galaxy: Mass, Metallicity, Age, Morphology and SFR from HST and VLT
• Surveying Galaxy Proto-clusters in Emission: A Large-scale Structure at z=2.44 and the Outlook for HETDEX
• The THESAN project: ionizing escape fractions of reionization-era galaxies
• Feedback in low-mass galaxies in the early Universe
• Seeing Through the Trough: Outflows and the Detectability of Lyman Alpha Emission from the First Galaxies
• Escape of Lyman-alpha and continuum photons from star-forming galaxies
• From Mirrors to Windows: Lyman-Alpha Radiative Transfer in a Very Clumpy Medium
• RASCAS: RAdiation SCattering in Astrophysical Simulations
• MusE GAs FLOw and Wind (MEGAFLOW) VIII. Discovery of a MgII emission halo probed by a quasar sightline
• Resonant line transfer in a fog: Using Lyman-alpha to probe tiny structures in atomic gas
• ART^2 : Coupling Lyman-alpha Line and Multi-wavelength Continuum Radiative Transfer
• Galactic Winds and Extended Lya Emission from the Host Galaxies of High Column Density QSO Absorption Systems
• The physical origins and dominant emission mechanisms of Lyman-alpha halos: results from the TNG50 simulation in comparison to MUSE observations
• Modeling $237$ Lyman-$\alpha$ spectra of the MUSE-Wide survey
• The UV, Lyman-alpha, and dark matter halo properties of high redshift galaxies
• An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Lyα and UV selected Galaxies: Do Theorists and Observers `Select' the Same Objects?
• Faint extended Lyalpha emission due to star formation at the centre of high-column density QSO absorption systems
• Lyman-$\alpha$ as a tracer of cosmic reionisation in the SPHINX radiation-hydrodynamics cosmological simulation
• Modelling the observed luminosity function and clustering evolution of Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters: growing evidence for late reionization
• What is the Physical Origin of Strong Lya Emission? I. Demographics of Lya Emitter Structures
• Searching for Neutral Hydrogen Halos around z ~ 2.1 and z ~ 3.1 Ly-alpha Emitting Galaxies
• CLASH-VLT: spectroscopic confirmation of a z=6.11 quintuply lensed galaxy in the Frontier Fields Cluster RXC J2248.7-4431
• UV absorption lines and their potential for tracing the Lyman continuum escape fraction
• On the Diffuse Lyman-alpha Halo Around Lyman-alpha Emitting Galaxies
• Anisotropic Lyman-alpha Emission
• AGN-driven outflows and the formation of Ly$\alpha$ nebulae around high-z quasars
• Deciphering Lyman-$\alpha$ Emission Deep into the Epoch of Reionisation
• Modeling UV Radiation Feedback from Massive Stars: III. Escape of Radiation from Star-forming Giant Molecular Clouds
• Simulating the diversity of shapes of the Lyman-$\alpha$ line
• SILVERRUSH. II. First Catalogs and Properties of ~2,000 Lya Emitters and Blobs at z~6-7 Identified over the 14-21 deg2 Sky
• Modelling high redshift Lyman-alpha Emitters
• The Spectrally Resolved Lyman-alpha Emission of Three Lyman-alpha Selected Field Galaxies at z~2.4 from the HETDEX Pilot Survey
• Lyman Alpha Signatures from Direct Collapse Black Holes
• Exploring the nature of the Lyman-$\alpha$ emitter CR7
• Galactic Winds with MUSE: A Direct Detection of FeII* Emission from a z = 1.29 Galaxy
• Black hole obscuration and duty cycles mediated by AGN feedback in high redshift galaxies
• Spectral variations of Lyman-alpha emission within strongly lensed sources observed with MUSE
• A systematic study of the escape of LyC and Ly$\alpha$ photons from star-forming, magnetized turbulent clouds
• The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample: III. Properties of the Neutral ISM from GBT and VLA Observations
• Overturning the Case for Gravitational Powering in the Prototypical Cooling Lyman-alpha Nebula
• Were progenitors of local L* galaxies Lyman-alpha emitters at high redshift?
• Chasing Lyman alpha-emitting galaxies at z = 8.8
• On the sizes of ionized bubbles around the highest redshift galaxies. Spectral shapes of the Lyman-alpha emission from galaxies
• Lyα emission from galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization
• MgII in the JWST Era: a Probe of Lyman Continuum Escape?
• Predicting LyC emission of galaxies using their physical and Ly$\alpha$ emission properties
• CLARA's view on the escape fraction of Lyman-Alpha photons in high redshift galaxies
• Effect of Intergalactic Medium on the Observability of Lyman Alpha Emitters during Cosmic Reionization
• Lyman Alpha and MgII as Probes of Galaxies and their Environments
• Non-Gravitational Contributions to the Clustering of Ly-alpha Selected Galaxies: Implications for Cosmological Surveys
• SPICE: the connection between cosmic reionisation and stellar feedback in the first galaxies
• The impact of Lyman-$\alpha$ radiative transfer on large-scale clustering in the Illustris simulation
• Galaxy counterparts of intervening high-z sub-DLAs/DLAs and MgII absorbers towards gamma-ray bursts
• Modelling a bright z = 6 galaxy at the faint end of the AGN luminosity function
• The Lyman alpha Reference Sample VI: Lyman alpha escape from the edge-on disk galaxy Mrk1486
• On the origin of low escape fractions of ionizing radiation from massive star-forming galaxies at high redshift
• Lyman-α Emitters in the context of hierarchical galaxy formation: predictions for VLT/MUSE surveys
• Giant Lyman-Alpha Nebulae in the Illustris Simulation
• The imprint of cosmic ray driven outflow on Lyman-alpha spectra
• A Multiwavelength Study of ELAN Environments (AMUSE${}^2$). Mass budget, satellites spin alignment and gas infall in a massive $z\sim 3$ quasar host halo
• Morphological Properties of Lyman Alpha Emitters at Redshift 4.86 in the COSMOS Field: Clumpy Star Formation or Merger?
• The cosmic web in Lyman-alpha emission
• Effects of Lyman alpha scattering in the IGM on clustering statistics of Lyman alpha emitters
• Radiative Transfer Distortions of Lyman-$\alpha$ Emitters: a New Fingers-of-God Damping in the Clustering in Redshift Space
• Early Results from GLASS-JWST XXIII: The transmission of Lyman-alpha from UV-faint z ~ 3-6 galaxies
• The Origin and Evolution of Lyman-alpha Blobs in Cosmological Galaxy Formation Simulations
• Constraints on the $z\sim 6-13$ intergalactic medium from JWST spectroscopy of Lyman-alpha damping wings in galaxies
• Lyman-$\alpha$ feedback prevails at Cosmic Dawn: Implications for the first galaxies, stars, and star clusters
• Spectra from the shocked nebulae revealing turbulence near the Galactic Centre
• Where infall meets outflows: turbulent dissipation probed by CH${}^{+}$ and Ly$\alpha$ in the starburst/AGN galaxy group SMM J02399$-$0136 at z$\sim$2.8
• Down-the-barrel observations of a multiphase quasar outflow at high redshift: VLT/X-shooter spectroscopy of the proximate molecular absorber at z=2.631 towards SDSS J001514+184212
• The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample. VIII. Characterizing Lyman-Alpha Scattering in Nearby Galaxies
• Source structure and molecular gas properties from high-resolution CO imaging of SPT-selected dusty star-forming galaxies
• Stellar feedback in a clumpy galaxy at $z\sim$ 3.4
• Circumgalactic Ly$\alpha$ emission around submillimeter-bright galaxies with different quasar contributions
• The impact of gas bulk rotation on the lyman-alpha line
• A survey of Ly$\alpha$ emission around Damped Ly$\alpha$ absorbers at $z\approx 2$ with the Keck Cosmic Web Imager
• Tomography of the environment of the COSMOS/AzTEC-3 submillimeter galaxy at z=5.3 revealed by Lyalpha and MUSE observations
• The Lyman $\alpha$ Reference Sample XIV: Lyman $\alpha$ imaging of 45 low redshift star-forming galaxies and inferences on global emission
• UV & Ly$\alpha$ halos of Ly$\alpha$ emitters across environments at z=2.84
• Crossing walls and windows: the curious escape of Lyman-$\alpha$ photons through ionised channels
• The WISSH quasars project VII. Outflows and metals in the circumgalactic medium around the hyper-luminous z~3.6 quasar J1538+08
• Resolved galactic superwinds reconstructed around their host galaxies at z>3
• Possible evolution of the circum-galactic medium around QSOs with QSO age and cosmic time revealed by Ly$\alpha$ halos
• A search for Population III galaxies in CLASH. I. Singly-imaged candidates at high redshift
• Lyman alpha Properties of Simulated Galaxies in Overdense Regions: Effects of Galactic Winds at z > 6
• A public grid of radiative transfer simulations for Lyman-alpha and metal lines in idealised galactic outflows
• Effect of Dust on Lyman-alpha Photon Transfer in Optically Thick Halo
• The galaxy counterpart of the high-metallicity and 16 kpc impact parameter DLA towards Q0918+1636 - a challenge to galaxy formation models?
• Modelling LAEs in the Epoch of Reionization with OBELISK
• The impact of cosmic ray feedback during the epoch of reionisation
• Forming the local starburst galaxy Haro 11 through hydrodynamical merger simulations
• Discovery of a damped Ly$\alpha$ galaxy at z $\sim$ 3 towards the quasar SDSS J011852+040644
• Constraining the geometry of the gas surrounding a typical galaxy at $z=3.4$ with Ly$\alpha$ polarization
• Simulating Jellyfish Galaxies: A Case Study for a Gas-Rich Dwarf Galaxy