Efficient hybrid technique for generating sub-grid haloes in reionization simulations

Abstract

Simulating the distribution of cosmological neutral hydrogen (HI) during the epoch of reionization requires a high dynamic range and is hence computationally expensive. The size of the simulation is dictated by the largest scales one aims to probe, while the resolution is determined by the smallest dark matter haloes capable of hosting the first stars. We present a hybrid approach where the density and tidal fields of a large-volume, low-resolution simulation are combined with small haloes from a small-volume, high-resolution box. By merging these two boxes of relatively lower dynamic range, we achieve an effective high-dynamic range simulation using only 13% of the computational resources required for a full high-dynamic range simulation. Our method accurately reproduces the one- and two-point statistics of the halo field, its cross-correlation with the dark matter density field, and the two-point statistics of the HI field computed using a semi-numerical code, all within 10% accuracy at large scales and across different redshifts. Our technique, combined with semi-numerical models of reionization, provides a resource-efficient tool for modeling the HI distribution at high redshifts.