Constraining the reionization history with CMB and spectroscopic observations

Wei-Ming Dai, Yin-Zhe Ma, Zong-Kuan Guo, and Rong-Gen Cai
Phys. Rev. D 99, 043524 – Published 19 February 2019

Abstract

We investigate the constraints on the reionization history of the Universe from a joint analysis of the cosmic microwave background and neutral hydrogen fraction data. The tanh parametrization and principal component analysis methods are applied to the reionization history respectively. The commonly used tanh parametrization is oversimplistic when the neutral hydrogen fraction data are taken into account. Using the principal component analysis method, the reconstructed reionization history is consistent with the neutral hydrogen fraction data. With the principal component analysis method, we reconstruct the neutral hydrogen fraction at z=9.75 as xHI=0.690.32+0.30 for 6<z<20 range reconstruction, and xHI=0.760.27+0.22 for 6<z<30 range reconstruction. These results suggest that the Universe began to reionize at redshift no later than z=10 at a 95% confidence level.

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  • Received 8 May 2018
  • Revised 21 August 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.99.043524

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

Wei-Ming Dai1,3,4,*, Yin-Zhe Ma3,4,†, Zong-Kuan Guo1,2,‡, and Rong-Gen Cai1,2,§

  • 1CAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2735, Beijing 100190, China
  • 2School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
  • 3School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
  • 4NAOC-UKZN Computational Astrophysics Centre (NUCAC), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa

  • *daiwming@itp.ac.cn
  • Ma@ukzn.ac.za
  • guozk@itp.ac.cn
  • §cairg@itp.ac.cn

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Issue

Vol. 99, Iss. 4 — 15 February 2019

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