Gravitational Lensing Effects by Galaxy Clusters on Ionised Bubble Size Distribution during the Epoch of Reionisation

Abstract

The statistical properties of ionisation structures during the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR) provide valuable insights into the formation of the first stars and galaxies. However, size distributions of ionisation structures can be affected by gravitational lensing from foreground massive structures such as galaxy clusters. To quantify the impact of cluster lensing on the ionised Bubble Size Distribution (BSD), we performed a series of multiple-lens-plane simulations combining light cones of clusters with source light cones based on different ionisation models. The deflector population is generated with a Monte Carlo method guided by the halo mass function and empirical scaling relations, and the deflectors are modelled with truncated Navarro-Frenk-White (TNFW) profiles. Source light cones are produced semi-numerically or taken directly from the Evolution of 21 cm Structure (EOS) project. Using the Mean Free Path method, we measure both unlensed and lensed BSDs. We find that gravitational lensing increases the apparent abundance of large bubbles while leaving small bubbles nearly unchanged across all source models considered. In particular, for the EOS faint-galaxies model, the apparent number of bubbles with R > 15 cMpc increases by 219% at z = 14; for the EOS bright-galaxies model, it increases by 832% under the same conditions. Moreover, a directional projection test shows only minor lensing-induced changes in line-of-sight direction, suggesting a possible route to recovering unlensed bubble statistics. Above all, lensing introduces unavoidable systematics into BSD measurements that should be carefully taken into account for relevant studies in the SKA era.