Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Modeling LAEs in the epoch of reionization with OBELISK : The connection between Lyman-α spectra and Lyman-continuum escape

Published inAstronomy & astrophysics, vol. 688, A122
Publication date2024-08
First online date2024-08-12
Abstract

Context. Lyman- α emitters (LAEs) are particularly useful objects in the study of the epoch of reionization. Lyman- α profiles can be used to estimate the number of ionizing photons that are able to escape galaxies, and therefore to understand which objects contributed to reionization. However, Lyman- α is a resonant line and its complex radiative transfer effects make the interpretation of the line challenging and require the use of appropriate radiative transfer methods for anything but the simplest gas distributions, such as uniform gaseous spheres, slabs, or cubes.

Aims. With this work, we aim to study the properties of simulated LAEs, and the robustness of these inferred properties during a change in the dust model. We also explore the Lyman continuum (LyC) escape fraction of these galaxies and compare our results with observationally calibrated methods to infer this quantity from the Lyman- α spectrum.

Methods. We used the radiative transfer code R ASCAS to perform synthetic observations of 13 flux-selected galaxies from the O BELISK simulation at a redshift of z  = 6, toward the end of the epoch of reionization. Each galaxy was observed in Lyman- α , as well as ionizing and nonionizing continuum from 48 different viewing angles.

Results. We show that the Lyman- α profiles emitted from a galaxy present large variations with a change in viewing angle and that the relation between peak separation and the Lyman- α escape fraction is not as strong as previously found, as we find lines of sight with both a low peak separation and a low escape fraction, due to their dust content. We also show that the properties of the Lyman- α line are reasonably robust during a change in the dust model. Lastly, we compare the LyC escape fractions that we derive from the simulation to three observationally calibrated methods of inferring this quantity. We determine that none of these relations reproduce the scatter that we find in our sample, and that high escape fraction lines of sight have both a low peak separation and a low dust extinction in the ultraviolet (UV).

Funding
Citation (ISO format)
GIOVINAZZO, Emma et al. Modeling LAEs in the epoch of reionization with OBELISK : The connection between Lyman-α spectra and Lyman-continuum escape. In: Astronomy & astrophysics, 2024, vol. 688, p. A122. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202348765
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202348765
Journal ISSN0004-6361
14views
204downloads

Technical informations

Creation18/09/2025 15:45:35
First validation29/09/2025 09:33:54
Update29/09/2025 09:33:54
Status update29/09/2025 09:33:54
Last indexation29/09/2025 09:33:55
All rights reserved by Archive ouverte UNIGE and the University of GenevaunigeBlack