A New Constraint on the Simulation of the Intergalactic Medium through the Evolution of the Neutral Hydrogen Fraction in the Epoch of Reionization

TL;DR

This paper uses simulations of the intergalactic medium's neutral hydrogen fraction during reionization to constrain models and parameters, aligning them more closely with observational data to improve understanding of cosmic evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a method to limit simulation models of the intergalactic medium by comparing the evolution of neutral hydrogen fraction with observations, reducing model flexibility.

Findings

Limited the range of viable models based on observational data

Eliminated many arbitrary parameter choices in thermal history modeling

Provided a framework for future refinement with improved data

Abstract

The thermal history of the intergalactic medium is full of extremely useful data in the field of astrophysics and cosmology. In other words, by examining this environment in different redshifts, the effects of cosmology and astrophysics can be observed side by side. Therefore, simulation is our very powerful tool to reach a suitable model for the intergalactic medium, both in terms of cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have simulated the intergalactic medium with the help of the 21cmFAST code and compared the evolution of the neutral hydrogen fraction in different initial conditions. Considerable works arbitrarily determine many important effective parameters in the thermal history of the intergalactic medium without any constraints, and usually, there is a lot of flexibility for modeling. Nonetheless, in this work, by focusing on the evolution of the neutral hydrogen fraction in different models and comparing it with observational data, we have eliminated many models and introduced only limited simulation models that could confirm the observations with sufficient accuracy. This issue becomes thoroughly vital from the point that, in addition to restricting the models through the neutral hydrogen fraction, it can also impose restrictions on the parameters affecting its changes. However, we hope that in future works, by enhancing the observational data and increasing their accuracy, more compatible models with the history of the intergalactic medium can be achieved.