Distinguishing reionization models using the largest cluster statistics of the 21-cm maps

TL;DR

This paper uses topological and morphological analysis of 21-cm maps to distinguish different reionization models, revealing how the evolution of ionized regions' structure can inform us about the properties of ionizing sources during the Epoch of Reionization.

Contribution

It introduces the use of Largest Cluster Statistics and Minkowski functional-based shape analysis to differentiate reionization scenarios, especially inside-out versus outside-in models.

Findings

Percolation transition in ionized hydrogen distinguishes reionization models.

Neutral fraction at percolation onset is higher in inside-out reionization.

Ionized regions become filamentary near percolation, with characteristic cross-sections varying by model.

Abstract

The evolution of topology and morphology of ionized or neutral hydrogen during different stages of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) have the potential to provide us a great amount of information about the properties of the ionizing sources during this era. We compare a variety of reionization source models in terms of the geometrical properties of the ionized regions. We show that the percolation transition in the ionized hydrogen, as studied by tracing the evolution of the Largest Cluster Statistics (LCS), is a robust statistic that can distinguish the fundamentally different scenarios -- inside-out and outside-in reionization. Particularly, the global neutral fraction at the onset of percolation is significantly higher for the inside-out scenario as compared to that for the outside-in reionization. In complementary to percolation analysis, we explore the shape and morphology of the ionized regions as they evolve in different reionization models in terms of the Shapefinders (SFs) that are ratios of the Minkowski functionals (MFs). The shape distribution can readily discern the reionization scenario with extreme non-uniform recombination in the IGM, such as the clumping model. In the rest of the reionization models, the largest ionized region abruptly grows only in terms of its third SF - 'length' - during percolation while the first two SFs - 'thickness' and 'breadth' - remain stable. Thus the ionized hydrogen in these scenarios becomes highly filamentary near percolation and exhibit a 'characteristic cross-section' that varies among the source models. Therefore, the geometrical studies based on SFs, together with the percolation analysis can shed light on the reionization sources.