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Title: Prospects for detecting C II emission during the epoch of reionization

Abstract

We produce simulations of the atomic C ii line emission in large sky fields in order to determine the current and future prospects for mapping this line during the high-redshift epoch of reionization. We calculate the C ii line intensity, redshift evolution, and spatial fluctuations using observational relations between C ii emission and the galaxy star formation rate over the frequency range 200–300 GHz. We estimate an averaged intensity of I{sub C II}=(4±2)×10{sup 2} Jy sr{sup −1} in the redshift range z ∼ 5.3−8.5. Observations of the C ii emission in this frequency range will suffer contamination from emission lines at lower redshifts, in particular CO rotational lines. Using simulations, we estimated the CO contamination to be I{sub CO}≈10{sup 3} Jy sr{sup −1} (originating from galaxies at z < 2.5). Using detailed simulations of the C ii and CO emission across a range of redshifts, we generate maps as a function of angle and frequency, fully taking into account this resolution and light-cone effects. In order to reduce the foreground contamination, we find that we should mask galaxies below redshifts ∼2.5 with a CO(J:2–1) to CO(J:6–5) line flux density higher than 5× 10{sup −22} W m{sup −2} or an AB magnitude lowermore » than m{sub K}=22. We estimate that the additional continuum contamination originating in emission from stars and in dust, free–free, free–bound, and two-photon emission in the interstellar medium is of the order of 10{sup 5} Jy sr{sup −1}, which is well above the expected C ii signal. We also consider the possibility of cross-correlating foreground lines with galaxy surveys in order to probe the intensity of the foregrounds. Finally, we discuss the expected constraints from two experiments capable of measuring the expected C ii power spectrum.« less

Authors:
;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. CENTRA, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisboa 1049-001 (Portugal)
  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22883027
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 806; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Since 2009, the country of publication for this journal is the UK.; Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; CARBON MONOXIDE; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; COSMIC DUST; FLUCTUATIONS; FLUX DENSITY; GALAXIES; GHZ RANGE 100-1000; LUMINOSITY; MASS; PHOTON EMISSION; QUASARS; RED SHIFT; RESOLUTION; SPECTRA; STARS; UNIVERSE

Citation Formats

Silva, Marta, Santos, Mario G., Cooray, Asantha, and Gong, Yan. Prospects for detecting C II emission during the epoch of reionization. United Kingdom: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/806/2/209.
Silva, Marta, Santos, Mario G., Cooray, Asantha, & Gong, Yan. Prospects for detecting C II emission during the epoch of reionization. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/806/2/209
Silva, Marta, Santos, Mario G., Cooray, Asantha, and Gong, Yan. 2015. "Prospects for detecting C II emission during the epoch of reionization". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/806/2/209.
@article{osti_22883027,
title = {Prospects for detecting C II emission during the epoch of reionization},
author = {Silva, Marta and Santos, Mario G. and Cooray, Asantha and Gong, Yan},
abstractNote = {We produce simulations of the atomic C ii line emission in large sky fields in order to determine the current and future prospects for mapping this line during the high-redshift epoch of reionization. We calculate the C ii line intensity, redshift evolution, and spatial fluctuations using observational relations between C ii emission and the galaxy star formation rate over the frequency range 200–300 GHz. We estimate an averaged intensity of I{sub C II}=(4±2)×10{sup 2} Jy sr{sup −1} in the redshift range z ∼ 5.3−8.5. Observations of the C ii emission in this frequency range will suffer contamination from emission lines at lower redshifts, in particular CO rotational lines. Using simulations, we estimated the CO contamination to be I{sub CO}≈10{sup 3} Jy sr{sup −1} (originating from galaxies at z < 2.5). Using detailed simulations of the C ii and CO emission across a range of redshifts, we generate maps as a function of angle and frequency, fully taking into account this resolution and light-cone effects. In order to reduce the foreground contamination, we find that we should mask galaxies below redshifts ∼2.5 with a CO(J:2–1) to CO(J:6–5) line flux density higher than 5× 10{sup −22} W m{sup −2} or an AB magnitude lower than m{sub K}=22. We estimate that the additional continuum contamination originating in emission from stars and in dust, free–free, free–bound, and two-photon emission in the interstellar medium is of the order of 10{sup 5} Jy sr{sup −1}, which is well above the expected C ii signal. We also consider the possibility of cross-correlating foreground lines with galaxy surveys in order to probe the intensity of the foregrounds. Finally, we discuss the expected constraints from two experiments capable of measuring the expected C ii power spectrum.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/806/2/209},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22883027}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 2,
volume = 806,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Sat Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sat Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}