A Census of the LyC Photons that Form the UV Background During Reionization

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new photon flux and absorption tracer algorithm in simulations to quantify the contributions of different galaxy populations to the UV background during reionization, revealing evolving sources and escape fractions.

Contribution

The study presents a novel on-the-fly tracer algorithm and detailed analysis of source contributions and escape fractions during reionization.

Findings

Low-mass, metal-poor haloes dominate early LyC photon production.

Massive, metal-enriched galaxies dominate the UV background at z=6.

Escape fractions vary significantly by source, reaching 45-60% for older stars.

Abstract

We present a new, on-the-fly photon flux and absorption tracer algorithm designed to directly measure the contribution of different source populations to the metagalactic UV background and to the ionisation fraction of gas in the Universe. We use a suite of multifrequency radiation hydrodynamics simulations that are carefully calibrated to reproduce a realistic reionization history and galaxy properties at $z \ge 6$, to disentangle the contribution of photons emitted by different mass haloes and by stars with different metallicities and ages to the UV background during reionization. While at very early cosmic times low mass, metal poor haloes provide most of the LyC photons, their contribution decreases steadily with time. At $z = 6$ it is the photons emitted by massive systems (${\rm M_{halo}}/{\rm M_\odot} > 10^{10} \, {\rm h ^{-1}}$) and by the metal enriched stars ($10^{-3} < Z/Z_{\rm \odot} < 10^{-1.5}$) that provide the largest contribution to the ionising UV background. We demonstrate that there are large variations in the escape fraction depending on the source, with the escape fraction being highest ($\sim 45-60\%$) for photons emitted by the oldest stars that penetrate into the IGM via low opacity channels carved by the ionising photons and supernova from younger stars. Before HII regions begin to overlap, the photoionisation rate strongly fluctuates between different, isolated HII bubbles, depending on the embedded ionising source, which we suggest may result in spatial variations in the properties of dwarf galaxies.