The monopole and quadrupole moments of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) 21-cm bispectrum

Abstract

We study the monopole ($\bar{B}^0_0$) and quadrupole ($\bar{B}^0_2$) moments of the 21-cm bispectrum (BS) from EoR simulations and present results for squeezed and stretched triangles. Both $\bar{B}^0_0$ and $\bar{B}^0_2$ are positive at the early stage of EoR where the mean neutral hydrogen (HI) density fraction $\bar{x}_{\rm HI} \approx 0.99$. The subsequent evolution of $\bar{B}^0_0$ and $\bar{B}^0_2$ at large and intermediate scales $(k=0.29$ and $0.56 \, {\rm Mpc}^{-1}$ respectively) is punctuated by two sign changes which mark transitions in the HI distribution. The first sign flip where $\bar{B}^0_0$ becomes negative occurs in the intermediate stages of EoR $(\bar{x}_{\rm HI} > 0.5)$, at large scale first followed by the intermediate scale. This marks the emergence of distinct ionized bubbles in the neutral background. $\bar{B}^0_2$ is relatively less affected by this transition, and it mostly remains positive even when $\bar{B}^0_0$ becomes negative. The second sign flip, which affects both $\bar{B}^0_0$ and $\bar{B}^0_2$, occurs at the late stage of EoR $(\bar{x}_{\rm HI} < 0.5)$. This marks a transition in the topology of the HI distribution, after which we have distinct HI islands in an ionized background. This causes $\bar{B}^0_0$ to become positive. The negative $\bar{B}^0_2$ is a definite indication that the HI islands survive only in under-dense regions.