Dust during the Reionization

Abstract

The possibility that population III stars have reionized the Universe at redshifts greater than 6 has recently gained momentum with WMAP polarization results. Here we analyse the role of early dust produced by these stars and ejected into the intergalactic medium. We show that this dust, heated by the radiation from the same population III stars, produces a submillimetre excess. The electromagnetic spectrum of this excess could account for a significant fraction of the FIRAS (Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer) cosmic far infrared background above 700 micron. This spectrum, a primary anisotropy ($\Delta T$) spectrum times the ${\nu }^2$ dust emissivity law, peaking in the submillimetre domain around 750 micron, is generic and does not depend on other detailed dust properties. Arcminute--scale anisotropies, coming from inhomogeneities in this early dust, could be detected by future submillimetre experiments such as Planck HFI.

6 pages, 8 figures, accepted by A&A; clarifications made, typos fixed, results more exactly calculated

References in corpus (5)

• First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Determination of Cosmological Parameters
• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) First Year Observations: TE Polarization
• Dust in the Early Universe: Dust Formation in the Ejecta of Population III Supernovae
• The Universe Was Reionized Twice
• Implications of WMAP Observations On the Population III Star Formation Processes

Cited by in corpus (4)

• The Number and Observability of Population III Supernovae at High Redshifts
• The Infrared Luminosity of Galaxy Clusters
• The Interstellar Dust Emission Spectrum, Going beyond the single temperature greybody
• Dust Distribution during Reionization