Gaussian Process Reconstruction of Reionization History

Abstract

We reconstruct the history of reionization using Gaussian process regression. Using the UV luminosity data compilation from Hubble Frontiers Fields we reconstruct the redshift evolution of UV luminosity density and thereby the evolution of the source term in the ionization equation. This model-independent reconstruction rules out single power-law evolution of the luminosity density but supports the logarithmic double power-law parametrization. We obtain reionization history by integrating ionization equations with the reconstructed source term. Using optical depth constraint from Planck Cosmic Microwave Background observation, measurement of UV luminosity function integrated till truncation magnitude of -17 and -15, and derived ionization fraction from high redshift quasar, galaxies and gamma-ray burst observations, we constrain the history of reionization. In the conservative case we find the constraint on the optical depth as $\tau =0.052\pm 0.001\pm 0.002$ at 68% and 95% confidence intervals. We find the redshift duration between 10% and 90% ionization to be $2.05_{-0.21-0.30}^{+0.11+0.37}$. Longer duration of reionization is supported if UV luminosity density data with truncation magnitude of -15 is used in the joint analysis. Our results point out that even in a conservative reconstruction, a combination of cosmological and astrophysical observations can provide stringent constraints on the epoch of reionization.

arXiv comment10 pages, 4 figures and 1 table

References in corpus (47)

• emcee: The MCMC Hammer
• The James Webb Space Telescope
• A luminous quasar at a redshift of z = 7.085
• An absorption profile centred at 78 megahertz in the sky-averaged spectrum
• 21-cm cosmology
• Evidence for Reionization at z ~ 6: Detection of a Gunn-Peterson Trough in a z=6.28 Quasar
• Radiative Transfer in a Clumpy Universe: III. The Nature of Cosmological Ionizing Sources
• The Frontier Fields: Survey Design
• Model-independent evidence in favor of an end to reionization by z~6
• Reionization after Planck: The Derived Growth of the Cosmic Ionizing Emissivity now matches the Growth of the Galaxy UV Luminosity Density
• Reconstruction of dark energy and expansion dynamics using Gaussian processes
• Spectroscopic Confirmation of Three z-Dropout Galaxies at z = 6.844 - 7.213: Demographics of Lyman-Alpha Emission in z ~ 7 Galaxies
• Implications for the Cosmic Reionization from the Optical Afterglow Spectrum of the Gamma-Ray Burst 050904 at z = 6.3
• Quantitative Constraints on the Reionization History from the IGM Damping Wing Signature in Two Quasars at z > 7
• Concordance models of reionization: implications for faint galaxies and escape fraction evolution
• Full-Data Results of Hubble Frontier Fields: UV Luminosity Functions at $z\sim 6-10$ and a Consistent Picture of Cosmic Reionization
• Gaussian Process Cosmography
• Line Emitting Galaxies Beyond a Redshift of 7: An Improved Method for Estimating the Evolving Neutrality of the Intergalactic Medium
• Reionization of Hydrogen and Helium by Early Stars and Quasars
• Inferences on the Timeline of Reionization at z~8 From the KMOS Lens-Amplified Spectroscopic Survey
• How neutral is the intergalactic medium surrounding the redshift z=7.085 quasar ULAS J1120+0641?
• Rapid Decline of Lyman-alpha Emission Toward the Reionization Era
• Hubble Frontier Fields First Complete Cluster Data: Faint Galaxies at $z\sim 5-10$ for UV Luminosity Functions and Cosmic Reionization
• Nonparametric Reconstruction of the Dark Energy Equation of State
• LiteBIRD: JAXA's new strategic L-class mission for all-sky surveys of cosmic microwave background polarization
• Evidence of Gunn-Peterson damping wings in high-z quasar spectra: strengthening the case for incomplete reionization
• Lyα emission line reconstruction for high-$z$ QSOs
• Cosmological parameters from WMAP 5-year temperature maps
• Model-Independent Reionization Observables in the CMB
• The escape fraction of ionizing photons from high redshift galaxies from data-constrained reionization models
• Model-independent constraints on the hydrogen-ionizing emissivity at z>6
• Model Independent Tests of Cosmic Growth vs Expansion
• fgivenx: A Python package for functional posterior plotting
• Probing the Neutral Fraction of the IGM with GRBs during the Epoch of Reionization
• Complete Reionization Constraints from Planck 2015 Polarization
• Cosmic Reionization After Planck and Before JWST: An Analytic Approach
• Reionization inference from the CMB optical depth and E-mode polarization power spectra
• Cosmic Microwave Background Constraints in Light of Priors Over Reionization Histories
• Reconstruction of the Dark Energy equation of state from latest data: the impact of theoretical priors
• Observational constraints on key-parameters of cosmic reionisation history
• A new parameterization of the reionisation history
• Witnessing the reionization history using Cosmic Microwave Background observation from Planck
• A non-parametric consistency test of the $\Lambda$CDM model with Planck CMB data
• Joining bits and pieces of reionization history
• Reconstructing the redshift evolution of escaped ionizing flux from early galaxies with Planck and HST observations
• Cosmic histories of star formation and reionization: An analysis with a power-law approximation
• The THESEUS space mission: science goals, requirements and mission concept

Cited by in corpus (4)

• How to use GP: Effects of the mean function and hyperparameter selection on Gaussian Process regression
• Gaussian Processes Reconstruction of the Dark Energy Potential
• Dark Twilight Joined with the Light of Dawn to Unveil the Reionization History
• Does the Reionization Model Influence the Constraints on Dark Matter Decay or Annihilation?