Speaker
Description
Within a decade, an array of observational facilities will deliver the first comprehensive picture of the reionizing Universe, from galaxies to the diffuse IGM. This will enable the detailed investigation of the intricate connection between the first collapsed structures and cosmic reionization. I will present my ongoing efforts to build a solid theoretical framework of study this phenomenon. In particular, I will present new results stemming from large-volume radiation-hydrodynamical simulations on the distribution of bubble sizes in the early Universe, their impact on the nearby Lyman-alpha forest and the role of galaxy properties in shaping these effects. I will show how JWST is starting to deliver important constraints on the galaxy-IGM connection during reionization, and how they can be used to constrain the properties of galaxies in the z>6 Universe. Finally, I will briefly introduce a suite of high-resolution radiation-hydrodynamical simulations that for the first time capture simultaneously the complex physics of the interstellar medium within the first galaxies and the O(100 Mpc)-scale radiation field. Through a tiered approach, these new simulations will enable to simultaneously study the first galaxies and the coeval IGM over an unprecedented range of scales.
