Cosmic Reionization On Computers: The Faint End of the Galaxy Luminosity Function

Abstract

Using numerical cosmological simulations completed under the "Cosmic Reionization On Computers" (CROC) project, I explore theoretical predictions for the faint end of the galaxy UV luminosity functions at $z\geq 6$. A commonly used Schechter function approximation with the magnitude cut at $M_{\rm CUT}\sim-13$ provides a reasonable fit to the actual luminosity function of simulated galaxies. When the Schechter functional form is forced on the luminosity functions from the simulations, the magnitude cut $M_{\rm CUT}$ is found to vary between $-12$ and $-14$ with a mild redshift dependence. An analytical model of reionization from Madau, Haardt & Rees (1997), as used by Robertson et al. (2015), provides a good description of the simulated results, but only if the redshift dependence of the effective escape fraction (induced by physical processes not captured by the Madau, Haardt & Rees model) is accounted for.