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Luca Graziani

Publications and source records attributed to Luca Graziani.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

Metal and dust evolution in ALMA REBELS galaxies: insights for future JWST observations

ALMA observations revealed the presence of significant amounts of dust in the first Gyr of Cosmic time. However, the metal and dust buildup picture remains very uncertain due to the lack of constraints on metallicity. JWST has started to reveal the metal content of high-redshift targets, which may lead to firmer constraints on high-redshift dusty galaxies evolution. In this work, we use detailed chemical and dust evolution models to explore the evolution of galaxies within the ALMA REBELS survey, testing different metallicity scenarios that could be inferred from JWST observations. In the models, we track the buildup of stellar mass by using non-parametric SFHs for REBELS galaxies. Different scenarios for metal and dust evolution are simulated by allowing different prescriptions for gas flows and dust processes. The model outputs are compared with measured dust scaling relations, by employing metallicity-dependent calibrations for the gas mass based on the [CII]158micron line. Independently of the galaxies metal content, we found no need for extreme dust prescriptions to explain the dust masses revealed by ALMA. However, different levels of metal enrichment will lead to different dominant dust production mechanisms, with stardust production dominant over other ISM dust processes only in the metal-poor case. This points out how metallicity measurements from JWST will significantly improve our understanding of the dust buildup in high-redshift galaxies. We also show that models struggle to reproduce observables such as dust-to-gas and dust-to-stellar ratios simultaneously, possibly indicating an overestimation of the gas mass through current calibrations, especially at high metallicities.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

The first fireworks: A roadmap to Population III stars during the Epoch of Reionization through Pair Instability Supernovae

With the launch of JWST and other scheduled missions aimed at probing the distant Universe, we are entering a new promising era for high-$z$ astronomy. One of our main goals is the detection of the first population of stars (Population III or Pop III stars), and models suggest that Pop III star formation is allowed well into the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), rendering this an attainable achievement. In this paper, we focus on our chance of detecting massive Pop IIIs at the moment of their death as Pair-Instability Supernovae (PISNe). We estimate the probability of discovering PISNe during the EoR in galaxies with different stellar masses ($7.5 \leq \mathrm{Log}(M_\star/\mathrm{M_\odot}) \leq 10.5$) from six dustyGadget simulations of $50h^{-1}$ cMpc per side. We further assess the expected number of PISNe in surveys with JWST/NIRCam and Roman/WFI. On average, less than one PISN is expected in all examined JWST fields at $z \simeq 8$ with $Δz = 1$, and O(1) PISN may be found in a $\sim 1$ deg$^2$ Roman field in the best-case scenario, although different assumptions on the Pop III IMF and/or Pop III star-formation efficiency can decrease this number substantially. Including the contribution from unresolved low-mass halos holds the potential for increased discoveries. JWST/NIRCam and Roman/WFI allow the detection of massive-progenitor ($\sim 250 ~ \mathrm{M_\odot}$) PISNe throughout all the optimal F200W-F356W, F277W-F444W, and F158-F213 colors. PISNe are also predominantly located at the outskirts of their hosting haloes, facilitating the disentangling of underlying stellar emission thanks to the spatial-resolution capabilities of the instruments.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

Are we surprised to find SMBHs with JWST at z > 9?

JWST is unveiling for the first time accreting black holes (BHs) with masses of 10^6 - 10^7 Msun at z > 4, with the most distant residing in GNz11 at z = 10.6. Are we really surprised to find them in the nuclei of z = 5 - 11 galaxies? Here we predict the properties of 4 < z < 11 BHs and their host galaxies considering an Eddington-limited (EL) and a super-Eddington (SE) BH accretion scenario, using the Cosmic Archaeology Tool (CAT) semi-analytical model. We calculate the transmitted spectral energy distribution of CAT synthetic candidates, representative of the BH/galaxy properties of GNz11. We also examine the possibility that the z = 8.7 galaxy CEERS-1019 could host an active BH. We find that the luminosity of high-z JWST detected BHs are better reproduced by the SE model, where BHs descend from efficiently growing light and heavy seeds. Conversely, the host galaxy stellar masses are better matched in the EL model, in which all the systems detectable with JWST surveys JADES and CEERS descend from heavy BH seeds. We support the interpretation that the central point source of GNz11 could be powered by a SE (lambda_Edd = 2 - 3) accreting BH with mass 1.5 10^6 Msun, while the emission from CEERS-1019 is dominated by the host galaxy; if it harbours an active BH, we find it to have a mass of M_BH = 10^7 Msun, and to be accreting at sub-Eddington rates (lambda_Edd = 0.5).

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

FORECAST: a flexible software to forward model cosmological hydrodynamical simulations mimicking real observations

We present FORECAST, a new flexible and adaptable software package that performs forward modeling of the output of any cosmological hydrodynamical simulations to create a wide range of realistic synthetic astronomical images. With customizable options for filters, field of view size and survey parameters, it allows users to tailor the synthetic images to their specific requirements. FORECAST constructs light-cone exploiting the output snapshots of a simulation and computes the observed flux of each simulated stellar element, modeled as a Single Stellar Population, in any chosen set of pass-band filters, including k-correction, IGM absorption and dust attenuation. As a first application, we emulated the GOODS-South field as observed for the CANDELS survey exploiting the IllustrisTNG simulation. We produce images of 200 sq. arcmin., in 13 bands (eight Hubble Space Telescope optical and near-infrared bands from ACS B435 to WFC3 H160, the VLT HAWK-I Ks band, and the four IRAC filters from Spitzer), with depths consistent with the real data. We analysed the images with the same processing pipeline adopted for real data in CANDELS and ASTRODEEP publications, and we compared the results against both the input data used to create the images, and real data, generally finding good agreement with both, with some interesting exceptions which we discuss. As part of this work, we release the FORECAST code and two datasets: the CANDELS dataset analyzed in this study, and 10 JWST CEERS survey-like images (8 NIRCam and 2 MIRI) in a field of view of 200 sq. arcmin. between z=0-20. FORECAST is a flexible tool: it creates images that can then be processed and analysed using standard photometric algorithms, allowing for a consistent comparison among observations and models, and for a direct estimation of the biases introduced by such techniques.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2023

Astrophysics with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be a transformative experiment for gravitational wave astronomy, and, as such, it will offer unique opportunities to address many key astrophysical questions in a completely novel way. The synergy with ground-based and space-born instruments in the electromagnetic domain, by enabling multi-messenger observations, will add further to the discovery potential of LISA. The next decade is crucial to prepare the astrophysical community for LISA's first observations. This review outlines the extensive landscape of astrophysical theory, numerical simulations, and astronomical observations that are instrumental for modeling and interpreting the upcoming LISA datastream. To this aim, the current knowledge in three main source classes for LISA is reviewed; ultracompact stellar-mass binaries, massive black hole binaries, and extreme or intermediate mass ratio inspirals. The relevant astrophysical processes and the established modeling techniques are summarized. Likewise, open issues and gaps in our understanding of these sources are highlighted, along with an indication of how LISA could help making progress in the different areas. New research avenues that LISA itself, or its joint exploitation with upcoming studies in the electromagnetic domain, will enable, are also illustrated. Improvements in modeling and analysis approaches, such as the combination of numerical simulations and modern data science techniques, are discussed. This review is intended to be a starting point for using LISA as a new discovery tool for understanding our Universe.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2023

A needle in a haystack? Catching Pop III stars in the Epoch of Reionization: I. Pop III star forming environments

Despite extensive search efforts, direct observations of the first (Pop III) stars have not yet succeeded. Theoretical studies have suggested that late Pop III star formation is still possible in pristine clouds of high-mass galaxies, coexisting with Pop II stars, down to the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Here we reassess this finding by exploring Pop III star formation in six $50h^{-1} ~$cMpc simulations performed with the hydrodynamical code dustyGadget. We find that Pop III star formation ($\sim 10^{-3.4} - 10^{-3.2} ~ \mathrm{M_\odot yr^{-1} cMpc^{-3}}$) is still occurring down to $z \sim 6 - 8$, i.e. well within the reach of deep JWST surveys. At these epochs, $\gtrsim 10 \%$ of the rare massive galaxies with $M_\star \gtrsim 3 \times 10^9 ~ \mathrm{M_\odot}$ are found to host Pop III stars, although with a Pop III/Pop II mass fraction $\lesssim 0.1 \%$. Regardless of their mass, Pop III hosting galaxies are mainly found on the main sequence, at high star formation rates, probably induced by accretion of pristine gas. This scenario is also supported by their increasing star formation histories and their preferential location in high-density regions of the cosmic web. Pop III stars are found both in the outskirts of metal-enriched regions and in isolated, pristine clouds. In the latter case, their signal may be less contaminated by Pop IIs, although its detectability will strongly depend on the specific line-of-sight to the source, due to the complex morphology of the host galaxy and its highly inhomogeneous dust distribution.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

Cold Dust and Low [OIII]/[CII] Ratios: an Evolved Star-forming Population at Redshift 7

We present new ALMA Band 8 (rest-frame $90\,μ$m) observations of three massive ($M_\star \approx 10^{10}\,M_\odot$) galaxies at $z\approx7$ previously detected in [CII]$158\,μ$m and underlying dust continuum emission in the Reionization Era Bright Emission Line Survey (REBELS). We detect the dust continuum emission of two of our targets in Band 8 (REBELS-25 and REBELS-38), while REBELS-12 remains undetected. Through modified blackbody fitting we determine cold dust temperatures ($T_\mathrm{dust} \approx 30 - 35\,$K) in both of the dual-band detected targets, given a fiducial model of optically thin emission with $β= 2.0$. Their dust temperatures are lower than most $z\sim7$ galaxies in the literature, and consequently their dust masses are higher ($M_\mathrm{dust} \approx 10^{8}\,M_\odot$). Nevertheless, these large dust masses are still consistent with predictions from models of dust production in the early Universe. In addition, we target and detect [OIII]$88\,μ$m emission in both REBELS-12 and REBELS-25, and find $L_\mathrm{[OIII]} / L_\mathrm{[CII]}$ ratios of approximately unity, low compared to the $L_\mathrm{[OIII]} / L_\mathrm{[CII]} \gtrsim 2 - 10$ observed in the known $z\gtrsim6$ population thus far. We argue the lower line ratios are due to a comparatively weaker ionizing radiation field resulting from the less starbursty nature of our targets. This low burstiness supports the cold dust temperatures and below average $\mathrm{[OIII]}λ\lambda4959,5007 + \mathrm{H}β$ equivalent widths of REBELS-25 and REBELS-38, compared to the known high-redshift population. Overall, this provides evidence for the existence of a massive, dust-rich galaxy population at $z\approx7$ which has previously experienced vigorous star formation, but is currently forming stars in a steady, as opposed to bursty, manner.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2023

The role of Pop III stars and early black holes in the 21cm signal from Cosmic Dawn

Modeling the 21cm global signal from the Cosmic Dawn is challenging due to the many poorly constrained physical processes that come into play. We address this problem using the semi-analytical code "Cosmic Archaeology Tool" (CAT). CAT follows the evolution of dark matter halos tracking their merger history and provides an ab initio description of their baryonic evolution, starting from the formation of the first (Pop III) stars and black holes (BHs) in mini-halos at z > 20. The model is anchored to observations of galaxies and AGN at z < 6 and predicts a reionization history consistent with constraints. In this work we compute the evolution of the mean global 21cm signal between $4\leq z \leq 40$ based on the rate of formation and emission properties of stars and accreting black holes. We obtain an absorption profile with a maximum depth $δ{\rm T_b} = -95$ mK at $z \sim 26.5$ (54 MHz). This feature is quickly suppressed turning into an emission signal at $z = 20$ due to the contribution of accreting BHs that efficiently heat the IGM at $z < 27$. The high-$z$ absorption feature is caused by the early coupling between the spin and kinetic temperature of the IGM induced by Pop III star formation episodes in mini-halos. Once we account for an additional radio background from early BHs, we are able to reproduce the timing and the depth of the EDGES signal only if we consider a smaller X-ray background from accreting BHs, but not the shape.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2022

Seeking the growth of the first black hole seeds with JWST

In this paper we provide predictions for the BH population that would be observable with planned JWST surveys at $5 \le z \le 15$. We base our study on the recently developed Cosmic Archaeology Tool (CAT), which allows us to model BH seeds formation and growth, while being consistent with the general population of AGNs and galaxies observed at $4 \le z \le 7$. We find that JWST planned surveys will provide a complementary view on active BHs at $z > 5$, with JADES-Medium/-Deep being capable of detecting the numerous BHs that populate the faint-end of the distribution, COSMOS-Web sampling a large enough area to detect the rarest brightest systems, and CEERS/PRIMER bridging the gap between these two regimes. The relatively small field of view of the above surveys preferentially selects BHs with masses $6 \leq {\rm Log} (M_{\rm BH}/M_\odot) < 8$ at $7 \le z < 10$, residing in relatively metal poor (${\rm Log} (Z/Z_\odot) \ge -2$) and massive ($8\leq {\rm Log} (M_*/M_\odot) < 10$) galaxies. At $z \ge 10$, only JADES-Deep will have the sensitivity to detect growing BHs with masses $4 \leq {\rm Log} (M_{\rm BH}/M_\odot) < 6$, hosted by more metal poor ($-3 \leq {\rm Log} (Z/Z_\odot) < -2$) and less massive ($6 \leq {\rm Log} (M_*/M_\odot) < 8$) galaxies. In our model, the latter population corresponds to heavy BH seeds formed by the direct collapse of super-massive stars in their earliest phases of mass growth. Detecting these systems would provide invaluable insights on the nature and early growth of the first BH seeds.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2022

The ALMA REBELS Survey: The Dust-obscured Cosmic Star Formation Rate Density at Redshift 7

Cosmic dust is an essential component shaping both the evolution of galaxies and their observational signatures. How quickly dust builds up in the early Universe remains an open question that requires deep observations at (sub-)millimeter wavelengths to resolve. Here we use Atacama Large Millimeter Array observations of 45 galaxies from the Reionization Era Bright Emission Line Survey (REBELS) and its pilot programs, designed to target [CII] and dust emission in UV-selected galaxies at $z\sim7$, to investigate the dust content of high-redshift galaxies through a stacking analysis. We find that the typical fraction of obscured star formation $f_\mathrm{obs} = \mathrm{SFR}_\mathrm{IR} / \mathrm{SFR}_\mathrm{UV + IR}$ depends on stellar mass, similar to what is observed at lower redshift, and ranges from $f_\mathrm{obs} \approx 0.3 - 0.6$ for galaxies with $\log_{10}\left(M_\star / M_\odot\right) = 9.4 - 10.4$. We further adopt the $z\sim7$ stellar mass function from the literature to extract the obscured cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) from the REBELS survey. Our results suggest only a modest decrease in the SFRD between $3\lesssim z \lesssim 7$, with dust-obscured star formation still contributing $\sim30\%$ at $z\sim7$. While we extensively discuss potential caveats, our analysis highlights the continued importance of dust-obscured star formation even well into the epoch of reionization.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2022

The ALMA REBELS Survey: Dust Continuum Detections at z > 6.5

We report 18 dust continuum detections ($\geq 3.3σ$) at $\sim88{\rm μm}$ and $158{\rm μm}$ out of 49 ultraviolet(UV)-bright galaxies ($M_{\rm UV} < -21.3$ mag) at $z>6.5$, observed by the Cycle-7 ALMA Large Program, REBELS and its pilot programs. This has more than tripled the number of dust continuum detections known at $z>6.5$. Out of these 18 detections, 12 are reported for the first time as part of REBELS. In addition, 15 of the dust continuum detected galaxies also show a [CII]$_{\rm 158{\rm μm}}$ emission line, providing us with accurate redshifts. We anticipate more line emission detections from six targets (including three continuum detected targets) where observations are still ongoing. The dust continuum detected sources in our sample tend to have a redder UV spectral slope than the ones without a dust continuum detection. We estimate that all of the sources have an infrared (IR) luminosity ($L_{\rm IR}$) in a range of $3-8 \times 10^{11} L_\odot$, except for one with $L_{\rm IR} = 1.5^{+0.8}_{-0.5} \times 10^{12}\,L_{\odot}$. Their fraction of obscured star formation is significant at $\gtrsim 50\%$. Some of the dust continuum detected galaxies show spatial offsets ($\sim 0.5-1.5''$) between the rest-UV and far-IR emission peaks. These separations appear to have an increasing trend against an indicator that suggests spatially decoupled phases of obscured and unobscured star formation. REBELS offers the best available statistical constraints on obscured star formation in UV-bright, massive galaxies at $z > 6.5$.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2022

On the Stellar Populations of Galaxies at z=9-11: The Growth of Metals and Stellar Mass at Early Times

We present a detailed stellar population analysis of 11 bright ($H<26.6$) galaxies at $z=9-11$ (three spectroscopically confirmed) to constrain the chemical enrichment and growth of stellar mass of early galaxies. We use the flexible Bayesian spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code Prospector with a range of star-formation histories (SFHs), a flexible dust attenuation law and a self-consistent modeling of emission lines. This approach allows us to assess how different priors affect our results, and how well we can break degeneracies between dust attenuation, stellar ages, metallicity and emission lines using data which probe only the rest-frame ultraviolet to optical wavelengths. We measure a median observed ultraviolet spectral slope $β=-1.87_{-0.43}^{+0.35}$ for relatively massive star-forming galaxies ($9<\log(M_{\star}/M_{\odot})<10$), consistent with no change from $z=4$ to $z=9-10$ at these stellar masses, implying rapid enrichment. Our SED-fitting results are consistent with a star-forming main sequence with sub-linear slope ($0.7\pm0.2$) and specific star-formation rates of $3-10~\mathrm{Gyr}^{-1}$. However, the stellar ages and SFHs are less well constrained. Using different SFH priors, we cannot distinguish between median mass-weighted ages of $\sim50-150$ Myr, which corresponds to 50\% formation redshifts of $z_{50}\sim10-12$ at $z\sim9$ and is of the order of the dynamical timescales of these systems. Importantly, the models with different SFH priors are able to fit the data equally well. We conclude that the current observational data cannot tightly constrain the mass-buildup timescales of these $z=9-11$ galaxies, with our results consistent with SFHs implying both a shallow and steep increase of the cosmic SFR density with time at $z>10$.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2022

The ALMA REBELS Survey: Specific Star-Formation Rates in the Reionization Era

We present specific star-formation rates for 40 UV-bright galaxies at $z\sim7-8$ observed as part of the Reionization Era Bright Emission Line Survey (REBELS) ALMA large program. The sSFRs are derived using improved measures of SFR and stellar masses, made possible by measurements of far-infrared (FIR) continuum emission and [CII]-based spectroscopic redshifts. For each source in the sample, we derive stellar masses from SED fitting and total SFRs from calibrations of the UV and FIR emission. The median sSFR is $18_{-5}^{+7}$ Gyr$^{-1}$, significantly larger than literature measurements lacking constraints in the FIR. The increase in sSFR reflects the larger obscured SFRs we derive from the dust continuum relative to that implied by the UV+optical SED. We suggest that such differences may reflect spatial variations in dust across these luminous galaxies, with the component dominating the FIR distinct from that dominating the UV. We demonstrate that the inferred stellar masses (and hence sSFRs) are strongly-dependent on the assumed star formation history (SFH) in reionization-era galaxies. When large sSFR galaxies are modeled with non-parametric SFHs, the derived stellar masses can increase by an order of magnitude relative to constant star formation models, owing to the presence of a significant old stellar population that is outshined by the recent burst. The [CII] line widths in the largest sSFR systems are often very broad, suggesting dynamical masses that are easily able to accommodate the dominant old stellar population suggested by non-parametric models. Regardless of these systematic uncertainties in the derived parameters, we find that the sSFR increases rapidly toward higher redshifts for massive galaxies ($9.6<\log(\rm M_*/M_{\odot})<9.8$), with a power law that goes as $(1+z)^{1.7\pm0.3}$, broadly consistent with expectations from the evolving baryon accretion rates.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2022

The ALMA REBELS Survey: Efficient Ly$α$ Transmission of UV-Bright z$\simeq$7 Galaxies from Large Velocity Offsets and Broad Line Widths

Recent work has shown that UV-luminous reionization-era galaxies often exhibit strong Lyman-alpha emission despite being situated at redshifts where the IGM is thought to be substantially neutral. It has been argued that this enhanced Ly$α$ transmission reflects the presence of massive galaxies in overdense regions which power large ionized bubbles. An alternative explanation is that massive galaxies shift more of their Ly$α$ profile to large velocities (relative to the systemic redshift) where the IGM damping wing absorption is reduced. Such a mass-dependent trend is seen at lower redshifts, but whether one exists at $z\sim7$ remains unclear owing to the small number of existing systemic redshift measurements in the reionization era. This is now changing with the emergence of [CII]-based redshifts from ALMA. Here we report MMT/Binospec Ly$α$ spectroscopy of eight UV-bright ($\mathrm{M_{UV}}^{}\sim-22$) galaxies at $z\simeq7$ selected from the ALMA REBELS survey. We detect Ly$α$ in 4 of 8 galaxies and use the [CII] systemic redshifts to investigate the Ly$α$ velocity profiles. The Ly$α$ lines are significantly redshifted from systemic (average velocity offset=223 km/s) and broad (FWHM$\approx$300$-$650 km/s), with two sources showing emission extending to $\approx$750 km/s. We find that the broadest Ly$α$ profiles are associated with the largest [CII] line widths, suggesting a potential link between the Ly$α$ FWHM and the dynamical mass. Since Ly$α$ photons at high velocities transmit efficiently through the $z=7$ IGM, our data suggest that velocity profiles play a significant role in boosting the Ly$α$ visibility of the most UV-luminous reionization-era galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2022

The low-end of the black hole mass function at cosmic dawn

Understanding the formation and growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at high redshift represents a major challenge for theoretical models. In this work we investigate the early evolution of the first SMBHs by constraining their distribution in mass and luminosity at $z > 4$. In particular, we focus on the poorly explored low-mass end of the nuclear black hole (BH) distribution down to $z \simeq 4$, and explore its connection with the nature of the first BH seeds and the processes governing their mass growth. To this aim, we have developed CAT (Cosmic Archaeology Tool), a new semi-analytic model that describes the formation of the first stars and black holes in a self-consistent way and follows the co-evolution of nuclear BHs and their host galaxies for a representative population at $z > 4$. We find that current observational constraints favour models where the growth of BH seeds is Eddington limited and occurs at the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton rate or where super-Eddington accretion occurs via a slim disk during gas rich galaxy mergers. The main difference between these two model variants lies at the low-end of the predicted mass and luminosity functions at $4 \le z \le 6$, where a clear gap appears in the first model, reflecting the stunted growth of light BH seeds formed as remnants of the first stars. Detecting this signature will be extremely challenging even for the future generation of space observatories, such as JWST, Athena and Lynx.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2021

Radiative transfer of ionizing radiation through gas and dust: grain charging in star forming regions

The presence of charged dust grains is known to have a profound impact on the physical evolution of the multiphase interstellar medium (ISM). Despite its importance, this process is still poorly explored in numerical simulations due to its complex physics and the tight dependence on the environment. Here we introduce a novel implementation of grain charging in the cosmological radiative transfer code CRASH. We first benchmark the code predictions on a series of idealized dusty HII regions created by a single star, in order to assess the impact of grain properties on the resulting spatial distribution of charges. Second, we perform a realistic radiative transfer simulation of a star forming region extracted from a dusty galaxy evolving in the Epoch of Reionization. We find that $\sim 13$ % of the total dust mass gets negatively charged, mainly silicate and graphite grains of radius micron. A complex spatial distribution of grain charges is also found, primarily depending on the exposure to stellar radiation and strongly varying along different lines of sight, as a result of radiative transfer effects. We finally assess the impact of grain properties (both chemical composition and size) on the resulting charge distribution. The new implementation described here will open up a wide range of possible studies investigating the physical evolution of the dusty ISM, nowadays accessible to observations of high and low redshift galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2021

Mid-IR cosmological spectrophotometric surveys from space: Measuring AGN and star formation at the Cosmic Noon with a SPICA-like mission

We use the SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) project as a template to demonstrate how deep spectrophotometric surveys covering large cosmological volumes over extended fields (1-15 square degrees) with a mid-IR imaging spectrometer (17-36 micron) in conjunction with deep 70 micron photometry with a far-IR camera, at wavelengths which are not affected by dust extinction can answer the most crucial questions in current galaxy evolution studies. A SPICA-like mission will be able for the first time to provide an unobscured three dimensional (3-D, i.e. x, y and redshift z) view of galaxy evolution back to an age of the Universe of less than ~2 Gyrs, in the mid-IR rest-frame. This survey strategy will produce a full census of the Star formation Rate (SFR) in the Universe, using Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) bands and fine-structure ionic lines, reaching the characteristic knee of the galaxy luminosity function, where the bulk of the population is distributed, at any redshift up to z ~3.5. Deep follow-up pointed spectroscopic observations with grating spectrometers { onboard the satellite}, across the full IR spectral range (17-210 micron), would simultaneously measure Black Hole Accretion Rate (BHAR), from high-ionization fine-structure lines, and SFR, from PAH and low- to mid-ionization lines in thousands of galaxies from solar to low metallicities, down to the knee of their luminosity functions. The analysis of the resulting atlas of IR spectra will reveal the physical processes at play in evolving galaxies across cosmic time, especially its heavily dust-embedded phase during the activity peak at the cosmic noon (z ~1-3), through IR emission lines and features that are insensitive to the dust obscuration.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2020

Large scale simulations of H and He reionization and heating driven by stars and more energetic sources

We present simulations of cosmic reionization and reheating from $z=18$ to $z=5$, investigating the role of stars (emitting soft UV-photons), nuclear black holes (BHs, with power-law spectra), X-ray binaries (XRBs, with hard X-ray dominated spectra), and the supernova-associated thermal bremsstrahlung of the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM, with soft X-ray spectra). We post-process the hydrodynamical simulation Massive-Black II (MBII) with multifrequency ionizing radiative transfer. The source properties are directly derived from the physical environment of MBII, and our only real free parameter is the ionizing escape fraction $f_{\rm esc}$. We find that, among the models explored here, the one with an escape fraction that decreases with decreasing redshift yields results most in line with observations, such as of the neutral hydrogen fraction and the Thomson scattering optical depth. Stars are the main driver of hydrogen reionization and consequently of the thermal history of the intergalactic medium (IGM). We obtain $\langle x_{\rm HII} \rangle = 0.99998$ at $z=6$ for all source types, with volume averaged temperatures $\langle T \rangle \sim 20,000~{\rm K}$. BHs are rare and negligible to hydrogen reionization, but conversely they are the only sources which can fully ionize helium, increasing local temperatures by $\sim 10^4~{\rm K}$. The thermal and ionization state of the neutral and lowly ionized hydrogen differs significantly with different source combinations, with ISM and (to a lesser extent) XRBs, playing a significant role and, as a consequence, determining the transition from absorption to emission of the 21 cm signal from neutral hydrogen.

astro-ph.CO↗