Observational constraints on key-parameters of cosmic reionisation history

TL;DR

This study constrains key parameters of cosmic reionisation, such as the clumping factor and escape fraction, using observational data to understand the reionisation timeline and improve models of early universe evolution.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of how the clumping factor and escape fraction influence reionisation, favoring constant values and aligning models with recent observational constraints.

Findings

Constant clumping factor of 3 is consistent with observations.

Escape fraction around 0.24 with uncertainties, nearly constant over redshift.

Reionisation likely started at redshift ≥14 and ended around z~6.

Abstract

We discuss constraints on cosmic reionisation and their implications on a cosmic SFR density $\rho_\mathrm{SFR}$ model; we study the influence of key-parameters such as the clumping factor of ionised hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM) $C_{H_{II}}$ and the fraction of ionising photons escaping star-forming galaxies to reionise the IGM $f_\mathrm{esc}$. Our analysis uses SFR history data coming from luminosity functions, assuming that star-forming galaxies were sufficient to lead the reionisation process at high redshift. We add two other sets of constraints: measurements of the IGM ionised fraction and the most recent result from Planck Satellite about the integrated Thomson optical depth of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) $\tau_\mathrm{Planck}$. We also consider various possibilities for the evolution of these two parameters with redshift, and confront them with observational data cited above. We conclude that, if the model of a constant clumping factor is chosen, the fiducial value of $3$ often used in papers is consistent with observations; even if a redshift-dependent model is considered, the resulting optical depth is strongly correlated to $C_{H_{II}}$ mean value at $z>7$, an additional argument in favour of the use of a constant clumping factor. Besides, the escape fraction is related to too many astrophysical parameters to allow us to use a complete and fully satisfactory model. A constant value with redshift seems again to be the most likely expression: considering it as a fit parameter, we get from the maximum likelihood (ML) model $f_\mathrm{esc}=0.24\pm0.08$; with a redshift-dependent model, we find an almost constant evolution, slightly increasing with $z$, around $f_\mathrm{esc}=0.23$. Last, our analysis shows that a reionisation beginning as early as $z\geq14$ and persisting until $z\sim6$ is a likely storyline.