The Lyman-α Signatures of the First Galaxies

Details The Lyman-α Signatures of the First Galaxies The Lyman-α Signatures of the First Galaxies

Nov 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aipc.1294..184d&link_type=abstract

THE FIRST STARS AND GALAXIES: CHALLENGES FOR THE NEXT DECADE. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1294, pp. 184-189 (2010).

Physics

Galaxies, Interstellar Matter, Intergalactic Matter, Redshift, Galaxy Clusters, Physical Properties, Intergalactic Matter, Quasar Absorption And Emission-Line Systems, Lyman Forest, Distances, Redshifts, Radial Velocities, Spatial Distribution Of Galaxies

Scientific paper

The Lya emission line is robustly predicted to be the most prominent intrinsic spectral feature of the first generation of galaxies that initiated the reionization process in our Universe. Unfortunately the large Gunn-Peterson optical depth of the surrounding neutral IGM is thought to render this line extremely difficult to detect prior to reionization. However, we show that radiative transfer effects in the ISM, which cause Lyα flux to emerge from galaxies at frequencies where the Gunn-Peterson optical depth is reduced, can substantially enhance the prospects for detection of the Lyα line at high redshift. In particular, scattering off outflows of interstellar H I gas can modify the Lyα spectral line shape such that >~5% of the emitted Lyα radiation is transmitted directly to the observer, even through a fully neutral IGM. It may therefore be possible to directly observe `strong' Lyα emission lines (EW>~50 A˚ rest frame) from the highest redshift galaxies that reside in the smallest H II `bubbles' early in the reionization era with JWST. In addition, we show that outflows can boost the fraction of Lyα radiation that is transmitted through the IGM during the latter stages of reionization, and even post-reionization.

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