Impact of the cosmological expansion on spectral energy density of radiation in the intergalactic medium and once more about Olbers' paradox

TL;DR

This paper examines how the universe's expansion affects the spectral energy density of intergalactic radiation, providing insights into Olbers' paradox and the reionization epoch by analyzing the influence of cosmological redshift and source distribution.

Contribution

It introduces a model showing how cosmic expansion alters the thermal spectrum of intergalactic radiation and estimates the source densities needed for hydrogen reionization at high redshift.

Findings

Expansion causes a decrease in energy density in the Wien range.

Expansion causes an increase in the Rayleigh-Jeans range.

Small populations of globular clusters or dwarf galaxies can reionize hydrogen at z=6.

Abstract

We analyse the impact of the expansion of the Universe on the formation of the total spectral energy density of radiation in the intergalactic medium. Assuming the same proper thermal spectrum of sources, we show how the expansion of the Universe changes the nature of the energy distribution of the thermal spectrum: a decrease of the energy density in the Wien range and an increase in the Rayleigh--Jeans range with increasing the redshift of the bulk filled by sources. This is due to the cosmological redshift and the growing contribution of large number of distant sources. The numerical estimations also illustrate the main factors that resolve the Olbers' paradox in the expanding Universe: i) the particle horizon, ii) the finiteness of the volume filled by luminous objects, and iii) the cosmological redshift. Applying the obtained expressions to the epoch of reionization made it possible to estimate the concentration of objects of various classes (stars, globular clusters, dwarf galaxies) necessary for complete reionization of hydrogen at $z=6$. It is shown that even a small part of globular clusters or dwarf galaxies with a thermal spectrum of moderate temperature, from those predicted by Press-Schechter formalism and its improvements, is able to completely reionize hydrogen in the intergalactic medium at $z=6$.