Constraining Reionization with Lyman Alpha Emitting Galaxies

Abstract

Neutral diffuse intergalactic gas that existed during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) suppresses Lyman Alpha (Lya) flux emitted by background galaxies. In this chapter I summarise the increasing observational support for the claim that Lya photons emitted by galaxies at z>6 are suppressed by intervening HI gas. I describe key physical processes that affect Lya transfer during the EoR. I argue that in spite of the uncertainties associated with this complex multiscale problem, the data on Lya emitting galaxies at z=0-6 strongly suggests that the observed reduction in Lya flux from galaxies at z>6 is due to additional intervening HI gas. The main question is what fraction of this additional HI gas is in the diffuse neutral IGM. I summarise how future surveys on existing and upcoming instruments are expected to reduce existing observational uncertainties enormously. With these improved data we will likely be able to nail down reionization with Lya emitting galaxies.

17 pages, 6 figures. Book chapter in "Understanding the Epoch of Cosmic Reionization: Challenges and Progress", Springer International Publishing, Ed. Andrei Mesinger, ISBN 978-3-319-21956-1

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• The Role of Galaxies and AGN in Reionising the IGM - I: Keck Spectroscopy of 5 < z < 7 Galaxies in the QSO Field J1148+5251
• Lyman-Alpha Emitting Galaxies as a Probe of Reionization: Large-Scale Bubble Morphology and Small-Scale Absorbers
• The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey: The role of HI kinematics and HI column density on the escape of Lyalpha photons in star-forming galaxies at 2<z<4
• Evolution of the Lyman-α emitting fraction and UV properties of lensed star-forming galaxies between 2.9 < z < 6.7
• Tomography of the environment of the COSMOS/AzTEC-3 submillimeter galaxy at z=5.3 revealed by Lyalpha and MUSE observations
• The miniJPAS & J-NEP surveys: Identification and characterization of the Ly$\alpha$ Emitter population and the Ly$\alpha$ Luminosity Function
• Imaging the Southern Sky at 159MHz using Spherical Harmonics with the Engineering Development Array 2