arXiv subjects

Rieko Momose

Publications and source records attributed to Rieko Momose.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Probing Spatial Variations in IGM Transmission: Higher Ly$α$ Visibility in an H$α$-Selected Galaxy Overdensity at $z\simeq6.2$

The visibility of Ly$α$ emission during the epoch of reionization depends on both galaxy properties and the transmission of Ly$α$ photons through the intergalactic medium (IGM). Using JWST/NIRCam F470N imaging, we identify a prominent projected overdensity of H$α$ emitters (HAEs) at $z\simeq6.2$ in CEERS field. We use Subaru/HSC NB872 imaging to measure their Ly$α$ fluxes and compare the Ly$α$ visibility of galaxies within $2'$ of the density center with that of galaxies outside this region. The Ly$α$-emitter (LAE) fraction is $0.41^{+0.15}_{-0.14}$ in the inner region and $0.27^{+0.19}_{-0.15}$ in the outer region. Stacking the H$α$ and Ly$α$ images gives median Ly$α$ escape fractions of $0.100^{+0.091}_{-0.053}$ and $0.063^{+0.130}_{-0.063}$ in the inner and outer regions, respectively. Both measures indicate higher Ly$α$ visibility in the inner region, although only at modest significance. HAEs closer to the density center are systematically more massive and have redder UV slopes, which instead favor lower Ly$α$ escape. The environmental difference in Ly$α$ visibility is therefore difficult to explain solely by variations in underlying galaxy population. Our results are consistent with reduced Ly$α$ attenuation through a more highly ionized IGM in the overdense region, as expected if large H\,{\sc ii} bubbles preferentially form around such galaxy overdensities. The wide-field LAE distribution provides complementary support for this scenario, as the HAE-defined density center coincides with the strongest LAE overdensity across the $1.4\,{\rm deg}^2$ HSC field. These findings highlight the importance of spatial variations in IGM attenuation in shaping Ly$α$ visibility near the end of reionization.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Diverse Metallicities in Protoclusters at $z \sim 3.4$ detected by Deep Learning

We present spectroscopic follow-up observations with Subaru/MOIRCS of four protocluster candidate regions identified by the deep-learning model PCFNet. In three candidate regions, we confirm four protoclusters at $z =$ 3.316, 3.403, 3.408 and 3.425, exhibiting galaxy density peaks over five times the uniform distribution. The detection rate of confirmed members aligns with PCFNet's predictions, underscoring its effectiveness. Analysis of spectral energy distributions (SEDs), incorporating up to ten photometric bands $(uu^*grizyJHK)$, reveals that protocluster members lie on the star-formation main sequence. The masses of the most massive halos in the protoclusters are estimated from the most massive stellar mass of the member galaxies, yielding $\log M_\mathrm{halo}/M_\odot=12.4$-$12.8$, which are consistent with those at this redshift predicted by cosmological simulations and are comparable to those of the progenitors of typical local clusters ($M_\mathrm{halo}^{z=0}\sim10^{14}M_\odot$). Using the Voronoi Tessellation Monte Carlo technique based on the probability of protocluster membership from PCFNet, we find that our protoclusters exhibit a significantly higher SFRD than the cosmic SFRD at $z\sim3.4$. Based on the [Oiii]/H$β$ emission line ratio, two protoclusters show marginally ($1.4$-$2σ$) higher average metallicities than the field, while the other protoclusters are statistically consistent with the field. These diverse metallicities highlight the environmental impact within protoclusters detected by PCFNet, likely reflecting the complex opposing interplay between metal-rich gas recycling and metal-poor gas inflow, which may depend on the surrounding environment of each protocluster. This work demonstrates PCFNet's capability to unveil diverse samples of high-redshift protoclusters, paving the way for a more comprehensive understanding of their role in galaxy evolution.

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arXiv2026

Subaru meets JWST: A Direct Measurement of Ly$\boldsymbolα$ Escape Fraction at $\boldsymbol{z\simeq6.2}$ with Dual Narrow-Band Imaging

We present a direct measurement of the Ly$α$ escape fraction, $f^{\rm Lyα}_{\rm esc}$, for H$α$ emitters (HAEs) at $z\simeq6.2$ in the JWST CEERS field by combining JWST/NIRCam F470N imaging with Subaru/HSC NB872 imaging. This unique pair of narrow-band filters enables the simultaneous measurement of Ly$α$ and H$α$ fluxes from galaxies during the epoch of reionization (EoR). We select 84 HAEs from F470N excesses, among which 56 have reliable NB872 photometry and 19 are detected in Ly$α$ at $>2σ$ significance. The completeness-weighted stack of the HAE sample yields a median $f^{\rm Lyα}_{\rm esc}$ at $z\simeq6.2$ of $0.106^{+0.066}_{-0.044}$, which is in good agreement with recent measurements at similar redshifts. We further find no significant dependence of the stacked $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm Lyα}$ on the lower limit of H$α$ luminosity over the luminosity range probed by our sample. If Ly$α$ escape traces Lyman continuum leakage, this may suggest that relatively luminous HAEs, rather than only the faintest galaxies, can provide an important contribution to the ionizing photon budget during the EoR. For individual galaxies, $f^{\rm Lyα}_{\rm esc}$ positively correlates with Ly$α$ equivalent width and negatively correlates with the UV continuum slope $β$ and the rest-frame UV size, while no significant correlation is found with SED-derived $E(B-V)$, or rest-frame optical size, although these trends are based on a limited sample. These results suggest that the galaxy-to-galaxy variation in $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm Lyα}$ is more closely linked to compact, low-attenuation star-forming components traced by the UV continuum than to global dust attenuation or the overall stellar structure.

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arXiv2026

Cross-correlations between the CLAMATO Lyman-alpha forest and galaxies within the COSMOS field

We compute the 3D cross-correlation between the absorption of the $z\sim 2.3$ Lyman-alpha forest measured by the COSMOS Lyman-Alpha Mapping And Tomography Observations (CLAMATO) survey, and 1642 foreground galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts from several different surveys, including 3D-HST, CLAMATO, zCOSMOS-deep, MOSDEF, and VUDS. For each survey, we compare the measured cross-correlation with models incorporating the galaxy linear bias as well as observed redshift dispersion and systematic redshift offset. The derived redshift dispersion and offsets are generally consistent with those expected from, e.g., spectroscopic redshifts measured with UV absorption lines or NIR emission lines observed with specific instruments, but we find hints of `fingers-of-god' caused by overdensities in the field. We combine our foreground galaxy sample, and split them into 3 bins of robustly-estimated stellar mass in order to study the stellar mass-halo mass relationship. For sub-samples with median stellar masses of $\log_{10}(M_* / M_\odot) = [9.28,9.74,10.22]$, we find galaxy biases of $b_g\approx [2.1, 3.2,3.8]$, respectively. A comparison with mock measurements from the Bolshoi-Planck $N$-body simulation yields corresponding halo masses of $\log_{10}(M_* / M_\odot) \approx [10.5,11.7,12.1]$ for these stellar mass bins. At the low mass end, our results suggest enhanced star formation histories in mild tension with predictions from previous angular correlation and abundance matching-based observations, and the IllustrisTNG simulation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

RIDEN pilot survey: broad-band selection of candidate quasars with extended Lyman-$α$ nebulae using CLAUDS-HSC-SSP-DUNES$^2$ joint data

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will conduct the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), delivering deep, multi-band ($ugrizy$) imaging data across 18,000 square degrees over the next decade. Before this ultra-wide-field survey, we constructed a broad-band Ly$α$ imaging toward 483 SDSS/BOSS quasars at $z=$ 1.9-3.0, using deep, wide-field ultraviolet to near-infrared ($u$-to-$K$) data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Survey (HSC-SSP), the CFHT Large Area U-band Deep Survey (CLAUDS), the Deep UKIRT Near-Infrared Steward Survey (DUNES$^2$), and additional public data covering 13 square degrees. Our broad-band selection allowed us to select 24 candidate quasar nebulae that exhibit $u$ or $g$ band excess over 50-170 kpc, some of which exhibit asymmetrical extended features similar to those seen in previously discovered giant nebulae. We then investigated whether the Ly$α$ morphology of quasar nebulae differs between two redshift intervals, $z=$ 1.9-2.3 and $z=$ 2.3-3.0, and examined environmental dependence based on a control sample. Comparison results show no significant difference in asymmetry within Ly$α$ nebulae between the two redshift intervals. Furthermore, we found no systematic differences in overdensities around the complete quasar samples, quasars with large Ly$α$ nebulae, and control samples, while the most extended nebula appears to be located in the high-density region. Further verification analyses are required since the current dataset lacks spectroscopic confirmation for both quasar nebulae and their surrounding neighbours. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate the great potential of the Rubin LSST to discover giant Ly$α$ nebulae on an unprecedented scale.

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arXiv2025

Subaru High-$z$ Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs). XXIII. The powering mechanisms of the Ly$α$ haloes around high-$z$ quasars probed by slit spectroscopy

We present the analysis of Ly$α$ haloes around faint quasars at $z\sim4$ and $z\sim6$. We use 20 and 162 quasars at $z\sim4$ and $z\sim6$, taken by slit spectroscopy, and detect Ly$α$ haloes around 12 and 26 of these quasars, respectively. The average absolute magnitudes of the detected quasars are $\langle M_{1450} \rangle = -23.84$ mag at $z\sim4$ and $\langle M_{1450} \rangle = -23.68$ mag at $z\sim6$, which are comparable at $z\sim4$ and 3 mag fainter at $z\sim6$ than those of previous studies. The median surface brightness profiles are found to be consistent with an exponential curve, showing a hint of flattening within a radius of 5 kpc. The Ly$α$ haloes around these faint quasars are systematically fainter than those around bright quasars in the previous studies. We confirm the previous results that the Ly$α$ halo luminosity depends on both the ionizing and Ly$α$ peak luminosities of quasars at $z\sim4$, and also find that a similar correlation holds even at $z\sim6$. While the observed Ly$α$ halo luminosity is overall attributed to recombination emission from the optically thin gas clouds in the CGM, its luminosity dependences can be consistently explained by the partial contributions of recombination radiation from the optically thick clouds, which is thought to originate from the CGM centre, and the scattered Ly$α$ photons, which is resonantly trapped at the CGM centre and escaping outside of the haloes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Mining for Protoclusters at $z\sim4$ from Photometric Datasets with Deep Learning

Protoclusters are high-$z$ overdense regions that will evolve into clusters of galaxies by $z=0$, making them ideal for studying galaxy evolution expected to be accelerated by environmental effects. However, it has been challenging to identify protoclusters beyond $z=3$ only by photometry due to large redshift uncertainties, hindering statistical study. To tackle the issue, we develop a new deep-learning-based protocluster detection model, PCFNet, which considers a protocluster as a point cloud. To detect protoclusters at $z\sim4$ using only optical broad-band photometry, we train and evaluate PCFNet with mock $g$-dropout galaxies based on the N-body simulation with the semi-analytic model. We use the sky distribution, $i$-band magnitude, $(g-i)$ color, and the redshift probability density function surrounding a target galaxy on the sky. PCFNet achieves to detect five times more protocluster member candidates while maintaining high purity (recall $=7.5\pm0.2$%, precision $=44\pm1$%) than conventional methods. Moreover, PCFNet is able to detect more progenitors ($M_\mathrm{halo}^{z=0}=10^{14-14.5}\,M_\odot$) that are less massive than supermassive clusters like the Coma cluster. We apply PCFNet to the observational photometric dataset of the HSC-SSP Deep/UltraDeep layer ($\sim17\mathrm{\,deg^2}$) and detect $121$ protocluster candidates at $z\sim4$. We find the rest-UV luminosities of our protocluster member candidates are brighter than those of field galaxies, which is consistent with previous studies. Additionally, the quenching of satellite galaxies depends on both the core galaxy's halo mass at $z\sim4$ and accumulated mass until $z=0$ in the simulation. PCFNet is very flexible and can find protoclusters at other redshifts or in future extensive surveys by Euclid, LSST, and Roman.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The Dependence of Galaxy Properties on the Underlying 3D Matter Density Field at 2.0 < z < 2.5

We study the environmental effect of galaxy evolution as a function of the underlying 3D dark matter density for the first time at $z=2-2.5$, in which the underlying matter density is reconstructed from observed galaxies through dynamical forward modeling techniques. Utilizing this map, we investigate the dependence of the star formation activities and galaxy types (mergers, submillimeter galaxies, active galactic nuclei, and quiescent galaxies) on the matter overdensity $Δ_\text{local}$ and stellar mass. For the first time, we are able to probe underdense regions ($Δ_\text{local}<1$) in addition to overdensities. We find that star formation activity generally depends on the stellar mass, not the matter density. We also find evidence that: (1) an absence of mergers and submillimeter galaxies in higher-density regions but otherwise no trend across lower-density bins, (2) the increase of active galactic nuclei and quiescent galaxy prevalence as a function of matter density, and (3) the increase of all aforementioned categories with the stellar mass. These results indicate that stellar mass is the main driver of galaxy evolution at the cosmic noon. Our novel approach directly using reconstructed dark matter density maps demonstrates the new capability of the environmental effect studies in galaxy evolution at higher redshift.

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arXiv2024

Multiple emission lines of H$α$ emitters at $z \sim 2.3$ from the broad and medium-band photometry in the ZFOURGE Survey

We present a multiple emission lines study of $\sim$1300 H$α$ emitters (HAEs) at $z \sim 2.3$ in the ZFOURGE survey. In contrast to the traditional spectroscopic method, our sample is selected based on the flux excess in the ZFOURGE-$K_s$ broad-band data relative to the best-fit stellar continuum. Using the same method, we also extract the strong diagnostic emission lines for these individual HAEs: [OIII]$λ\lambda4959,5007$, [OII]$λ\lambda3726,3729$. Our measurements exhibit good consistency with those obtained from spectroscopic surveys. We investigate the relationship between the equivalent widths (EWs) of these emission lines and various galaxy properties, including stellar mass, stellar age, star formation rate (SFR), specific SFR (sSFR), ionization states (O32). We have identified a discrepancy between between HAEs at $z\sim2.3$ and typical local star-forming galaxy observed in the SDSS, suggesting the evolution of lower gas-phase metallicity ($Z$) and higher ionization parameters ($U$) with redshift. Notably, we have observed a significant number of low-mass HAEs exhibiting exceptionally high $EW_{\mathrm{[OIII]}}$. Their galaxy properties are comparable to those of extreme objects, such as extreme O3 emitters (O3Es) and Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) at $z\simeq2-3$. Considering that these characteristics may indicate potential strong Lyman continuum (LyC) leakage, higher redshift anaglogs of the low-mass HAEs could be significant contributors to the cosmic reionization. Further investigations on this particular population are required to gain a clearer understanding of galaxy evolution and cosmic reionization.

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arXiv2023

SILVERRUSH. XIII. A Catalog of 20,567 Ly$α$ Emitters at $z=2-7$ Identified in the Full-depth Data of the Subaru/HSC-SSP and CHORUS Surveys

We present 20,567 Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) at $z=2.2-7.3$ that are photometrically identified by the SILVERRUSH program in a large survey area up to 25 deg$^2$ with deep images of five broadband filters (grizy) and seven narrowband filters targeting Ly$α$ lines at $z=2.2$, $3.3$, $4.9$, $5.7$, $6.6$, $7.0$, and $7.3$ taken by the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) and the Cosmic HydrOgen Reionization Unveiled with Subaru (CHORUS) survey. We select secure $>5σ$ sources showing narrowband color excesses via Ly$α$ break screening, taking into account the spatial inhomogeneity of limiting magnitudes. After removing spurious sources by careful masking and visual inspection of coadded and multi-epoch images obtained over the 7 yr of the surveys, we construct LAE samples consisting of 6995, 4641, 726, 6124, 2058, 18, and 5 LAEs at $z=2.2$, 3.3, 4.9, 5.7, 6.6, 7.0, and 7.3, respectively, although the $z=7.3$ candidates are tentative. Our LAE catalogs contain 241 spectroscopically confirmed LAEs at the expected redshifts from previous work. We demonstrate that the number counts of our LAEs are consistent with previous studies with similar LAE selection criteria. The LAE catalogs will be made public on our project webpage with detailed descriptions of the content and ancillary information about the masks and limiting magnitudes.

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arXiv2023

Observational Evidence for Large-Scale Gas Heating in a Galaxy Protocluster at z=2.30

We report a $z=2.30$ galaxy protocluster (COSTCO-I) in the COSMOS field, where the Lyman-$α$ forest as seen in the CLAMATO IGM tomography survey does not show significant absorption. This departs from the transmission-density relationship (often dubbed the fluctuating Gunn-Peterson approximation; FGPA) usually expected to hold at this epoch, which would lead one to predict strong Ly$α$ absorption at the overdensity. For comparison, we generate mock Lyman-$α$ forest maps by applying FGPA to constrained simulations of the COSMOS density field, and create mocks that incorporate the effects of finite sightline sampling, pixel noise, and Wiener filtering. Averaged over $r=15\,h^{-1}\,\mathrm{Mpc}$ around the protocluster, the observed Lyman-$α$ forest is consistently more transparent in the real data than in the mocks, indicating a rejection of the null hypothesis that the gas in COSTCO-I follows FGPA ($p=0.0026$, or $2.79 σ$ significance). It suggests that the large-scale gas associated with COSTCO-I is being heated above the expectations of FGPA, which might be due to either large-scale AGN jet feedback or early gravitational shock heating. COSTCO-I is the first known large-scale region of the IGM that is observed to be transitioning from the optically-thin photoionized regime at Cosmic Noon, to eventually coalesce into an intra-cluster medium (ICM) by $z=0$. Future observations of similar structures will shed light on the growth of the ICM and allow constraints on AGN feedback mechanisms.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

UV & Ly$α$ halos of Ly$α$ emitters across environments at z=2.84

We present UV and Ly$α$ radial surface brightness (SB) profiles of Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) at $z=2.84$ detected with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) on the Subaru Telescope. The depth of our data, together with the wide field coverage including a protocluster, enable us to study the dependence of Ly$α$ halos (LAHs) on various galaxy properties, including Mpc-scale environments. UV and Ly$α$ images of 3490 LAEs are extracted, and stacking the images yields SB sensitivity of $\sim1\times10^{-20}\mathrm{~erg~s^{-1}~cm^{-2}~arcsec^{-2}}$ in Ly$α$, reaching the expected level of optically thick gas illuminated by the UV background at $z\sim3$. Fitting of the two-component exponential function gives the scale-lengths of $1.56\pm0.01$ and $10.4\pm0.3$ pkpc. Dividing the sample according to their photometric properties, we find that while the dependence of halo scale-length on environment outside of the protocluster core is not clear, LAEs in the central regions of protoclusters appear to have very large LAHs which could be caused by combined effects of source overlapping and diffuse Ly$α$ emission from cool intergalactic gas permeating the forming protocluster core irradiated by active members. For the first time, we identify ``UV halos'' around bright LAEs which are probably due to a few lower-mass satellite galaxies. Through comparison with recent numerical simulations, we conclude that, while scattered Ly$α$ photons from the host galaxies are dominant, star formation in satellites evidently contributes to LAHs, and that fluorescent Ly$α$ emission may be boosted within protocluster cores at cosmic noon and/or near bright QSOs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

A systematic search for galaxy protocluster cores at the transition epoch of their star formation activity

The redshift of $z\sim1.5$ is the transition epoch of protoclusters (PCs) from the star-forming phase into the quenching phase, and hence an appropriate era to investigate the build up of the quenched population. We define a `core' as the most massive halo in a given PC, where environmental effects are likely to work most effectively, and search for cores at $1 11.3$ as the central galaxies of PC cores, we estimate their average halo mass by clustering analysis and find it to be $\log(M_\mathrm{h}/M_{\odot})\sim13.7$. An expected mass growth by the IllustrisTNG simulation and the observed overdensities around them suggest that the PC cores we find are progenitors of present-day clusters. Classifying our galaxy sample into red and blue galaxies, we calculate the stellar mass function (SMF) and the red galaxy fraction. The SMFs in the PC cores are more-top heavy than field, implying early high-mass galaxy formation and disruption of low-mass galaxies. We also find that the red fraction increases with stellar mass, consistent with stellar-mass dependent environmental quenching recently found at $z>1$. Interestingly, although the cores with red and blue centrals have similar halo masses, only those with red centrals show a significant red fraction excess compared to the field, suggesting a conformity effect. Some observational features of PC cores may imply that the conformity is caused by assembly bias.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

CHORUS IV: Mapping the Spatially Inhomogeneous Cosmic Reionization with Subaru HSC

The spatial inhomogeneity is one of the important features for understanding the reionization process; however, it has not yet been fully quantified. To map this inhomogeneous distribution, we simultaneously detect Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) and Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at $z \sim 6.6$ from the Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) large-area ($\sim1.5\,\mathrm{ deg}^2 = 34000\,\mathrm{cMpc}^2$) deep survey. We estimate the neutral fraction, $x_\mathrm{HI}$, from the observed number density ratio of LAEs to LBGs, $n(\mathrm{LAE})/n(\mathrm{LBG})$ based on numerical radiative transfer simulation, in which model galaxies are selected to satisfy the observed selection function. While the average $x_\mathrm{HI}$ within the field of view is found to be $x_\mathrm{HI} < 0.4$, which is consistent with previous studies, the variation of $n(\mathrm{LAE})/n(\mathrm{LBG})$ within the field of view for each $140\,\mathrm{pMpc}^2$ is found to be as large as a factor of three. This may suggest a spatially inhomogeneous topology of reionization, but it also leaves open the possibility that the variation is based on the inherent large-scale structure of the galaxy distribution. Based on the simulations, it may be difficult to distinguish between the two from the current survey. We also find that LAEs in the high LAE density region are more populate high $\mathrm{EW}_0$, supporting that the observed $n(\mathrm{LAE})/n(\mathrm{LBG})$ is more or less driven by the neutral fraction, though the statistical significance is not high.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

SILVERRUSH XI: Constraints on the Ly$α$ luminosity function and cosmic reionization at $z=7.3$ with Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam

The Ly$α$ luminosity function (LF) of Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) has been used to constrain the neutral hydrogen fraction in the intergalactic medium (IGM) and thus the timeline of cosmic reionization. Here we present the results of a new narrow-band imaging survey for $z=7.3$ LAEs in a large area of $\sim 3\ \mathrm{deg}^2$ with Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam. No LAEs are detected down to $L_{\mathrm{Ly}α}\simeq 10^{43.2}\ \mathrm{erg\ s^{-1}}$ in an effective cosmic volume of $\sim 2\times 10^6$ Mpc$^3$, placing an upper limit to the bright part of the $z=7.3$ Ly$α$ LF for the first time and confirming a decrease in bright LAEs from $z=7.0$. By comparing this upper limit with the Ly$α$ LF in the case of the fully ionized IGM, which is predicted using an observed $z=5.7$ Ly$α$ LF on the assumption that the intrinsic Ly$α$ LF evolves in the same way as the UV LF, we obtain the relative IGM transmission $T^\mathrm{IGM}_{\mathrm{Ly}α}(7.3)/T^\mathrm{IGM}_{\mathrm{Ly}α}(5.7)<0.77$, and then the volume-averaged neutral fraction $x_\mathrm{HI}(7.3)>0.28$. Cosmic reionization is thus still ongoing at $z=7.3$, being consistent with results from other $x_\mathrm{HI}$ estimation methods. A similar analysis using literature Ly$α$ LFs finds that at $z=6.6$ and 7.0 the observed Ly$α$ LF agrees with the predicted one, consistent with full ionization.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

SILVERRUSH. XI. Intensity Mapping for Lya Emission Extending over $100-1000$ comoving kpc around $z\sim2-7$ LAEs with Subaru HSC-SSP and CHORUS Data

We conduct intensity mapping to probe for extended diffuse Ly$α$ emission around Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) at $z\sim2-7$, exploiting very deep ($\sim26$ mag at $5σ$) and large-area ($\sim4.5$ deg$^2$) Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam narrow-band (NB) images and large LAE catalogs consisting of a total of 1781 LAEs at $z=2.2$, $3.3$, $5.7$, and $6.6$ obtained by the HSC-SSP SILVERRUSH and CHORUS projects. We calculate the spatial correlations of these LAEs with $\sim1-2$ billion pixel flux values of the NB images, deriving the average Ly$α$ surface brightness (${\rm SB_{Lyα}}$) radial profiles around the LAEs. By carefully estimating systematics such as fluctuations of sky background and point spread functions, we detect diffuse Ly$α$ emission ($\sim10^{-20}-10^{-19}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ arcsec$^{-2}$) at $100-1000$ comoving kpc around $z=3.3$ LAEs at the $4.1σ$ level and tentatively ($\sim2σ$) at the other redshifts, beyond the virial radius of a dark-matter halo with a mass of $10^{11}\ M_\odot$. While the observed ${\rm SB_{Lyα}}$ profiles have similar amplitudes at $z=2.2-6.6$ within the uncertainties, the intrinsic ${\rm SB_{Lyα}}$ profiles (corrected for the cosmological dimming effect) increase toward high redshifts. This trend may be explained by increasing hydrogen gas density due to the evolution of the cosmic volume. Comparisons with theoretical models suggest that extended Ly$α$ emission around a LAE is powered by resonantly scattered Ly$α$ photons in the CGM and IGM that originates from the inner part of the LAE, and/or neighboring galaxies around the LAE.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Probing Feedback via IGM tomography and Ly$α$ forest with Subaru PFS, TMT/ELT, and JWST

In preparation for the IGM tomography study by Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) survey and other large future telescopes such as TMT/ELT/GMT, we present the results of our pilot study on Ly$α$ forest and IGM tomography statistics using the GADGET3-OSAKA cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamical simulation. Our simulation includes models for star formation and supernova feedback, which enables more realistic cross-correlation studies between galaxies, neutral hydrogen (HI) and metals in circumgalactic and intergalactic medium. We create a light-cone data set at $z=2-3$ from our simulations and generate mock Ly$α$ forest data. As a first step, in this paper, we focus on the distribution of HI and galaxies, and present statistical results on 1D flux PDF, 1D power spectrum, flux contrast vs. impact parameter, HI$-$galaxy cross-correlations. Our results show overall agreement with current observational data, with some interesting discrepancies on small scales that are due to either feedback effects or varying observational conditions. Our simulation shows stronger HI absorption with decreasing transverse distance from galaxies. We find that the massive galaxies with $M_\star \ge 10^{10}\,M_\odot$ contribute strongly to the flux contrast signal, and that the lower-mass galaxies with $M_\star \sim 10^8-10^{10}\,M_\odot$ tend to dilute the flux contrast signal from massive galaxies. On large scales, the average flux contrast smoothly connects to the IGM level, supporting the concordance $Λ$ cold dark matter model. We also find an increase in the HI absorption toward the center of a protocluster.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

SILVERRUSH. IX. Lya Intensity Mapping with Star-Forming Galaxies at z=5.7 and 6.6: A Possible Detection of Extended Lya Emission at $\gtrsim$100 comoving kpc around and beyond the Virial-Radius Scale of Galaxy Dark Matter Halos

We present results of the cross-correlation Ly$α$ intensity mapping with Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) ultra-deep narrowband images and Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) at $z=5.7$ and $6.6$ in a total area of $4$ deg$^2$. Although overwhelming amount of data quality controls have been performed for the narrowband images, we further conduct extensive analysis evaluating systematics of large-scale point-spread-function wings, sky subtractions, and unknown errors based on physically uncorrelated signals and sources found in real HSC images and object catalogs, respectively. Removing the systematics, we carefully calculate cross-correlations between Ly$α$ intensity of the narrowband images and the LAEs. We tentatively identify very diffuse Ly$α$ emission with the $\simeq 3σ$ ($\simeq 2σ$) significance at $\gtrsim$ 100 comoving kpc (ckpc) far from the LAEs at $z=5.7$ ($6.6$), around and probably even beyond a virial radius of star-forming galaxies with $M_\mathrm{h}\sim10^{11}M_\odot$. The diffuse Ly$α$ emission possibly extends up to $1$,$000$ ckpc with the surface brightness of $10^{-20}$-$10^{-19}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ arcsec$^{-2}$. We confirm that the small-scale ($<150$ ckpc) Ly$α$ radial profiles of LAEs are consistent with those obtained by recent MUSE observations. Comparisons with numerical simulations suggest that the large-scale ($\sim150$-$1$,$000$ ckpc) Ly$α$ emission are not explained by unresolved faint neighboring galaxies including satellites, but by a combination of Ly$α$ photons emitted from the central LAE and other unknown sources, such as cold-gas streams and galactic outflow. We find no evolution in the Ly$α$ radial profiles of our LAEs from $z=5.7$ to $6.6$, where theoretical models predict a flattening of the profile slope made by cosmic reionization, albeit with our moderately large observational errors.

astro-ph.GA↗