Intensity Mapping of Hα, Hβ, [O II], and [O III] Lines at z < 5

Journal Article · Wed Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 2017 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/835/2/273· OSTI ID:22869452

Gong, Yan; Chen, Xuelei ^[1]; Cooray, Asantha; Feng, Chang ^[2]; Silva, Marta B. ^[3]; Zemcov, Michael ^[4]; Santos, Mario G. ^[5]; Dore, Olivier ^[6]

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1. Key Laboratory for Computational Astrophysics, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Beijing 100012 (China)
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States)
3. Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, Landleven 12, 9747AD Groningen (Netherlands)
4. Center for Detectors, School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States)
5. Physics Department, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535 (South Africa)
6. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 169-215, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)

Intensity mapping is becoming a useful tool to study the large-scale structure of the universe through spatial variations in the integrated emission from galaxies and the intergalactic medium. We study intensity mapping of the Hα 6563 A-ring , [O iii] 5007 Å, [O ii] 3727 Å, and Hβ 4861 A-ring lines at 0.8⩽z⩽5.2. The mean intensities of these four emission lines are estimated using the observed luminosity functions (LFs), cosmological simulations, and the star formation rate density (SFRD) derived from observations at z≲5. We calculate the intensity power spectra and consider the foreground contamination of other lines at lower redshifts. We use the proposed NASA small explorer SPHEREx (the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) as a case study for the detectability of the intensity power spectra of the four emission lines. We also investigate the cross-correlation with the 21 cm line probed by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), Tianlai experiment and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) at 0.8⩽z⩽2.4. We find both the auto and cross power spectra can be well measured for the Hα, [O iii] and [O ii] lines at z≲3, while it is more challenging for the Hβ line. Finally, we estimate the constraint on the SFRD from intensity mapping, and find we can reach an accuracy higher than 7% at z≲4, which is better than with the usual method of measurements using the LFs of galaxies.

• OSTI ID: 22869452
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 835; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COSMOLOGY
DENSITY
EMISSION
GALAXIES
HYDROGEN
LUMINOSITY
OXYGEN
PHOTOMETERS
RED SHIFT
SPECTRA
UNIVERSE