Reionization of the Intergalactic Medium and its Effect on the CMB

Abstract

The bulk of the hydrogen in the universe transformed from neutral to ionized somewhere in the redshift interval 5 < z < 40, most likely due to ionizing photons produced by an early generation of stars or mini-quasars. The resulting free electrons, interacting with the CMB photons via Thomson scattering, are a mixed blessing, providing both a probe of the epoch of the first stars and a contaminant to the pristine primary anisotropy. Here we review our current knowledge of reionization with emphasis on inhomogeneities and describe the possible connections to CMB anisotropy.

Invited Review in "Microwave Foregounds", editors A. de Oliveira-Costa & M. Tegmark (ASP: San Francisco), 15 pages with 3 included figures. "Microwave Foregrounds", eds. A. De Oliveira-Costa & M. Tegmark (ASP, San Francisco, 1999)

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