Probing the Epoch Reionization with Lyman Alpha Emitting Galaxies
by
Mark Dijkstra(MPA)
→
Europe/Stockholm
FA32
FA32
Description
The next generation of telescopes aim to directly observe the first generation of galaxies that initiated the reionization process in our Universe. The Lyman Alpha (Lya) emission line of atomic hydrogen is robustly predicted to be the most prominent intrinsic spectral feature of these galaxies, making it an ideal target to search for and study high-redshift galaxies. I briefly discuss why Lya emitting galaxies (LAEs) provide a good probe of the intergalactic medium (IGM) during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Current observations indicate that 'something' is happening at z>5.7. However, if we wish to properly interpret this data, and fully exploit LAEs as a probe of the EoR, it is important to understand what drives their observed redshift evolution after reionization is completed. An important uncertainty in interpreting existing LAE observations relates to the impact of the ionized IGM on Lya photons emitted by galaxies, which in turn is strongly connected to the effects of scattering through HI in the ISM and galactic outflows. Understanding this scattering process provides insights into the distribution (and kinematics) of cold gas in the interstellar and circum galactic medium of star forming galaxies. Scattering can also introduce non-gravitational effects on the clustering of LAEs after reionization has been completed.
