High Equivalent Width of H{\alpha}+[N II] Emission in z~8 Lyman-break Galaxies from IRAC 5.8{\mu}m Observations: Evidence for Efficient Lyman-continuum Photon production in the Epoch of Re-ionization

TL;DR

This study measures the extreme Hα+[N II] emission in z~8 galaxies using IRAC data, revealing high ionizing photon production efficiency that supports galaxies as primary reionization sources.

Contribution

First measurement of median Hα+[N II] equivalent width in z~8 galaxies, indicating high ionizing efficiency and modest escape fractions for reionization.

Findings

Median EW₀(Hα+[N II]) ≈ 2328 Å at z~8

High ionizing photon production efficiency (log ξ_ion ≈ 25.97)

Galaxies likely reionized the universe with escape fractions ≤ 0.3

Abstract

We measure, for the first time, the median equivalent width (EW) of H$\alpha$+[N II] in star-forming galaxies at $z\sim8$. Our estimate leverages the unique photometric depth of the Spitzer/IRAC $5.8\mu$m-band mosaics (probing $\approx 5500 - 7100$ A at $z\sim8$) of the GOODS Reionization Era Wide Area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS) program. We median stacked the stamps of $102$ Lyman-break galaxies in the $3.6, 4.5, 5.8$ and $8.0\mu$m bands, after carefully removing potential contamination from neighbouring sources. We infer an extreme rest-frame EW$_0$(H$\alpha$+[N II])$=2328^{+1326}_{-1127}$ A from the measured red $[3.6]-[5.8]=0.82\pm0.27$ mag, consistent with young ($\lesssim10^7$ yr) average stellar population ages at $z\sim8$. This implies an ionizing photon production efficiency of $\log(\xi_{\mathrm{ion},0}/\mathrm{erg\ Hz}^{-1})=25.97^{+0.18}_{-0.28}$. Such a high value for photo production, similar to the highest values found at $z\lesssim4$, indicates that only modest escape fractions $f_\mathrm{esc}\lesssim0.3$ (at $2\sigma$) are sufficient for galaxies brighter than $M_\mathrm{UV}<-18$ mag to re-ionize the neutral Hydrogen at $z\sim8$. This requirement is relaxed even more to $f_\mathrm{esc}\le 0.1$ when considering galaxies brighter than $M_\mathrm{UV}\approx -13$ mag, consistent with recent luminosity functions and as typically assumed in studies addressing re-ionization. These exceptional results clearly indicate that galaxies can be the dominant source of reionizing photons, and provide us with an exciting glimpse into what we might soon learn about the early universe, and particularly about the Reionization Epoch, from forthcoming JWST/MIRI and NIRCam programs.