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DOE OSTI2023

DESI z ≳ 5 Quasar Survey. I. A First Sample of 400 New Quasars at z ~ 4.7–6.6

We report the first results of a high-redshift (z ≳ 5) quasar survey using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). As a DESI secondary target program, this survey is designed to carry out a systematic search and investigation of quasars at 4.8 < z < 6.8. The target selection is based on the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys (the Legacy Surveys) DR9 photometry, combined with the Pan-STARRS1 data and J-band photometry from public surveys. A first quasar sample has been constructed from the DESI Survey Validation 3 (SV3) and first-year observations until 2022 May. This sample includes more than 400 new quasars at redshift 4.7 ≤ z < 6.6, down to 21.5 magnitude (AB) in the z band, discovered from 35% of the entire target sample. Remarkably, there are 220 new quasars identified at z ≥ 5, more than one-third of existing quasars previously published at this redshift. The observations so far result in an average success rate of 23% at z > 4.7. The current spectral data set has already allowed analysis of interesting individual objects (e.g., quasars with damped Lyα absorbers and broad absorption line features), and statistical analysis will follow the survey's completion. A set of science projects will be carried out leveraging this program, including quasar luminosity function, quasar clustering, intergalactic medium, quasar spectral properties, intervening absorbers, and properties of early supermassive black holes. Additionally, a sample of 38 new quasars at z ~ 3.8–5.7 discovered from a pilot survey in the DESI SV1 is also published in this paper.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

SILVERRUSH. XIV. Ly α Luminosity Functions and Angular Correlation Functions from 20,000 Ly α Emitters at z ∼ 2.2–7.3 from up to 24 deg 2 HSC-SSP and CHORUS Surveys: Linking the Postreionization Epoch to the Heart of Reionization

Abstract We present luminosity functions (LFs) and angular correlation functions (ACFs) derived from 18,960 Ly α emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.2−7.3 over a wide survey area of ≲24 deg 2 that are identified in the narrowband data of the HSC-SSP and CHORUS surveys. Confirming the large sample with 241 spectroscopically identified LAEs, we determine Ly α LFs and ACFs in the brighter luminosity range down to 0.5 L ⋆ , and confirm that our measurements are consistent with previous studies but offer significantly reduced statistical uncertainties. The improved precision of our ACFs allows us to clearly detect one-halo terms at some redshifts, and provides large-scale bias measurements that indicate host halo masses of ∼10 11 M ⊙ over z ≃ 2−7. By comparing our Ly α LF (ACF) measurements with reionization models, we estimate the neutral hydrogen fractions in the intergalactic medium to be x H i < 0.05 (= 0.06 − 0.03 + 0.12 ) at z = 5.7 and x H i = 0.1 5 − 0.08 + 0.10 ( 0.21 − 0.14 + 0.19 ), 0.1 8 − 0.12 + 0.14 , and 0.7 5 − 0.13 + 0.09 at z = 6.6, 7.0, and 7.3, respectively. Our findings suggest that the neutral hydrogen fraction remains relatively low, x H i ≲ 0.2, at z = 5−7, but increases sharply at z > 7, reaching x H i ∼ 0.9 by z ≃ 8−9, as indicated by recent JWST studies. The combination of our results from LAE observations with recent JWST observations suggests that the major epoch of reionization occurred at z ∼ 7−8, likely driven by the emergence of massive sources emitting significant ionizing photons.

Umeda, Hiroya (ORCID:0009000801675129)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measuring the Mean Free Path of H i Ionizing Photons at 3.2 ≤ z ≤ 4.6 with DESI Y1 Quasars

The mean free path of ionizing photons in the intergalactic medium (IGM; λ $^{912}_{mpf}$ ) is a crucial quantity in modeling the ionization state of the IGM and the extragalactic ultraviolet background, and it is widely used in hydrodynamical simulations of galaxies and reionization. We construct the largest quasar spectrum data set to date—12,595 signal-to-noise ratio > 3 spectra—using the Y1 observations of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, to make the most precise model-independent measurement of the mean free path at 3.2 ≤ z ≤ 4.6. By stacking the spectra in 17 redshift bins and modeling the Lyman-continuum profile, we get a redshift evolution λ $^{912}_{mpf}$ ∝ ( 1 + z ) − 4.27 at 2 ≤ z ≤ 5, which is much shallower than the previous estimate, λ $^{912}_{mpf}$ ∝ ( 1 + z ) − 5.4 . We then explore the sources of systematic bias, including the choice of the intrinsic quasar continuum, the consideration of Lyman-series opacity and Lyman-limit opacity evolution, and the definition of λ $^{912}_{mpf}$ . Combining our results with estimates of λ $^{912}_{mpf}$ at higher redshifts, we conclude at high confidence that the evolution in λ $^{912}_{mpf}$ steepens at z ≈ 5. We interpret this inflection as the transition from the end of H i reionization to a fully ionized plasma that characterizes the IGM of the past ∼10 billion yr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling Cosmic Reionization

The transformation of cold neutral intergalactic hydrogen into a highly ionized warm plasma marks the end of the cosmic dark ages and the beginning of the age of galaxies. The details of this process reflect the nature of the early sources of radiation and heat, the statistical characteristics of the large-scale structure of the Universe, the thermodynamics and chemistry of cosmic baryons, and the histories of star formation and black hole accretion. A number of massive data sets from new ground- and space-based instruments and facilities over the next decade are poised to revolutionize our understanding of primeval galaxies, the reionization photon budget, the physics of the intergalactic medium (IGM), and the fine-grained properties of hydrogen gas in the "cosmic web". In this review we survey the physics and key aspects of reionization-era modeling and describe the diverse range of computational techniques and tools currently available in this field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dynamical Dark Energy Imprints in the Lyman-Alpha Forest

The nature of dark energy (DE) remains elusive, even though it constitutes the dominant energy-density component of the Universe and drives the late-time acceleration of cosmic expansion. By combining measurements of the expansion history from baryon acoustic oscillations, supernova surveys, and cosmic microwave background data, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Collaboration has inferred that the DE equation of state may evolve over time. The profound implications of a time-variable, ``dynamical" DE (DDE) that departs from a cosmological constant motivate the need for independent observational tests. In this work, we use cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of structure formation to investigate how DDE affects the properties of the Lyman-Alpha ``forest'' of absorption features produced by neutral hydrogen in the cosmic web. We find that DDE models consistent with the DESI constraints induce a spectral tilt in the forest transmitted flux power spectrum, imprinting a scale- and redshift-dependent signature relative to standard Lambda-CDM cosmologies. These models also yield higher intergalactic medium temperatures and reduced Lyman-Alpha opacity compared to Lambda-CDM. We discuss the observational implications of these trends as potential avenues for independent confirmation of DDE.

Garza, Diego [UC, Santa Cruz, Inst. Part. Phys.] (↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of the Hubble constant with high-energy neutrinos

Measuring distances in the Universe is one of the hardest problems in physics and astronomy. Almost every distance probe relies on photons, whose propagation across cosmic distances introduces extinction, absorption, scattering, and radiative-transfer effects. Neutrinos suffer none of these and propagate unattenuated through dust, intergalactic medium, and dense source environments alike. We introduce a new distance-ladder method for measuring the Hubble constant $H_0$ using high-energy astrophysical neutrinos from point sources as standardizable candles, and report its first observational realization. Using 12 X-ray-selected Seyfert galaxies for which IceCube reports significant per-source neutrino excesses in its 14-year public point-source release, we exploit the disk-corona correlation $L_ν= κ\, L_X^β$ between neutrino and X-ray luminosities to construct a neutrino distance ladder anchored by non-redshift distances to NGC 1068 (Cepheid + TRGB). We find $H_0 = 49^{+40}_{-30}\,\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ and $β= 0.67^{+0.16}_{-0.25}$ (68% credible intervals), with the corona slope disfavoring the calorimetric limit $β= 1$ at ${\sim}2σ$. The result is consistent with existing $H_0$ determinations from Planck and SH0ES within 1$σ$. While the uncertainty on $H_0$ is large, the measurement is free of electromagnetic propagation systematics and demonstrates the viability of neutrinos as a novel cosmographical probe.

Herrera, Gonzalo [MIT, MKI; Harvard U.] (ORCID:000↗
DOE OSTI2025

Construction of the damped Ly⁢𝛼 absorber catalog for DESI DR2 Ly⁢𝛼 BAO

We present the Damped Ly⁢𝛼 Toolkit for automated detection and characterization of damped Ly⁢𝛼 absorbers (DLAs) in quasar spectra. Our method uses quasar spectral templates with and without absorption from intervening DLAs to reconstruct observed quasar forest regions. The best-fitting model determines whether a DLA is present while estimating the redshift and HI column density. With an optimized quality cut on detection significance (Δ⁢𝜒$^{2}_{𝑟}$ >0.03), the technique achieves an estimated 80% purity and 79% completeness when evaluated on simulated spectra with S/N>2 that are free of broad absorption lines (BALs). We provide a catalog containing candidate DLAs from the DLA Toolkit detected in DESI DR1 quasar spectra, of which 21 719 were found in S/N>2 spectra with predicted log 10 ⁡(𝑁 𝙷𝙸 )>20.3 and detection significance Δ⁢𝜒$^{2}_{𝑟}$ >0.03. We compare the Damped Ly⁢𝛼 Toolkit to two alternative DLA finders based on a convolutional neural network and Gaussian process models. We present a strategy for combining these three techniques to produce a high-fidelity DLA catalog from DESI DR2 for the Ly⁢𝛼 forest baryon acoustic oscillation measurement. The combined catalog contains 41 152 candidate DLAs with log 10 ⁡(𝑁 𝙷𝙸 )>20.3 from quasar spectra with S/N>2. We estimate this sample to be approximately 85% pure and 79% complete when BAL quasars are excluded.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evidence for large baryonic feedback at low and intermediate redshifts from kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich observations with ACT and DESI photometric galaxies

Recent advances in cosmological observations have provided an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the distribution of baryons relative to the underlying matter. In this work, we show that the gas is more extended than the dark matter, and the amount of baryonic feedback at $z \lesssim 1$ disfavors low-feedback models such as that of state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulation IllustrisTNG compared with high-feedback models such as that of the original Illustris simulation. This has important implications for bridging the gap between theory and observations and understanding galaxy formation and evolution. Furthermore, a better grasp of the baryon-dark matter link is critical to future cosmological analyses, which are currently impeded by our limited knowledge of baryonic feedback. Here, we measure the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), stacked on the luminous red galaxy (LRG) sample of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) imaging survey. This is the first analysis to use photometric redshifts for reconstructing galaxy velocities. Due to the large number of galaxies comprising the DESI imaging survey, this is the highest signal-to-noise stacked kSZ measurement to date: we detect the signal at 13$σ$, finding strong evidence that the gas is more spread out than the dark matter, as well as a preference for larger feedback compared to some commonly used state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations. Here, our work opens up the possibility of recalibrating large hydrodynamical simulations using the kSZ effect. In addition, our findings highlight the importance of properly accounting for baryonic feedback with future surveys such as LSST through direct probes such as the kSZ, and shed light on long-standing enigmas in astrophysics, such as the “missing baryon” problem.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Identifying Circumgalactic Medium Absorption in QSO Spectra: A Bayesian Approach

We present a study of candidate galaxy–absorber pairs for 43 low-redshift QSO sightlines (0.06 < z < 0.85) observed with the Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph that lie within the footprint of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with a statistical approach to match absorbers with galaxies near the QSO lines of sight using only the SDSS Data Release 12 photometric data for the galaxies, including estimates of their redshifts. Our Bayesian methods combine the SDSS photometric information with measured properties of the circumgalactic medium to find the most probable galaxy match, if any, for each absorber in the line-of-sight QSO spectrum. We find ~630 candidate galaxy–absorber pairs using two different statistics. The methods are able to reproduce pairs reported in the targeted spectroscopic studies upon which we base the statistics at a rate of 72%. The properties of the galaxies comprising the candidate pairs have median redshift, luminosity, and stellar mass, all estimated from the photometric data, $z$ = 0.13, L = 0.1$L$ * , and $\mathrm{log}({M}_{* }/{M}_{\odot })=9.7$. The median impact parameter of the candidate pairs is ~430 kpc, or ~3.5 times the galaxy virial radius. The results are broadly consistent with the high Ly$α$ covering fraction out to this radius found in previous studies. In conclusion, this method of matching absorbers and galaxies can be used to prioritize targets for spectroscopic studies, and we present specific examples of promising systems for such follow-up.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The discovery of a radio galaxy of at least 5 Mpc

Context. Giant radio galaxies (GRGs, or colloquially ‘giants’) are the Universe’s largest structures generated by individual galaxies. They comprise synchrotron-radiating active galactic nucleus ejecta and attain cosmological (megaparsec-scale) lengths. However, the main mechanisms that drive their exceptional growth remain poorly understood. Aims. To deduce the main mechanisms that drive a phenomenon, it is usually instructive to study extreme examples. If there exist host galaxy characteristics that are an important cause for GRG growth, then the hosts of the largest GRGs are likely to possess them. Similarly, if there exist particular large-scale environments that are highly conducive to GRG growth, then the largest GRGs are likely to reside in them. For these reasons, we aim to perform a case study of the largest GRG available. Methods. We reprocessed the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey DR2 by subtracting compact sources and performing multi-scale CLEAN de-convolutions at 60" and 90" resolution. The resulting images constitute the most sensitive survey yet for radio galaxy lobes, whose diffuse nature and steep synchrotron spectra have allowed them to evade previous detection attempts at higher resolution and shorter wavelengths. We visually searched these images for GRGs. Results. We have discovered Alcyoneus, a low-excitation radio galaxy with a projected proper length l p = 4.99 ± 0.04 Mpc. Both its jets and lobes are detected at very high significance, and the SDSS-based identification of the host, at spectroscopic redshift z spec = 0.24674 ± 6 × 10 -5 , is unambiguous. The total luminosity density at ν = 144 MHz is L ν = 8 ± 1 × 10 25 W Hz -1 , which is below average, though near median (percentile 45 ± 3%) for GRGs. The host is an elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass M* = 2.4 ± 0.4 × 10 11 M ⊙ and a super-massive black hole mass M• = 4 ± 2 × 10 8 M ⊙ , both of which tend towards the lower end of their respective GRG distributions (percentiles 25 ± 9% and 23 ± 11%). The host resides in a filament of the Cosmic Web. Through a new Bayesian model for radio galaxy lobes in three dimensions, we estimate the pressures in the megaparsec-cubed-scale northern and southern lobes to be P min,1 = 4.8 ± 0.3 × 10 -16 Pa and P min,2 = 4.9 ± 0.6 × 10 -16 Pa, respectively. The corresponding magnetic field strengths are B min,1 = 46 ± 1 pT and B min,2 = 46 ± 3 pT. Conclusions. We have discovered what is in projection the largest known structure made by a single galaxy – a GRG with a projected proper length l p = 4.99 ± 0.04 Mpc. The true proper length is at least l min = 5.04 ± 0.05 Mpc. Beyond geometry, Alcyoneus and its host are suspiciously ordinary: the total low-frequency luminosity density, stellar mass, and super-massive black hole mass are all lower than, though similar to, those of the medial GRG. Thus, very massive galaxies or central black holes are not necessary to grow large giants, and, if the observed state is representative of the source over its lifetime, neither is high radio power. A low-density environment remains a possible explanation. The source resides in a filament of the Cosmic Web, with which it might have significant thermodynamic interaction. The pressures in the lobes are the lowest hitherto found, and Alcyoneus therefore represents the most promising radio galaxy yet to probe the warm–hot inter-galactic medium.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Discovery of a Cool, Metal-rich Gas Reservoir in the Outskirts of z ≈ 0.5 Clusters

We built the first-ever statistically significant sample of ≈80,000 background quasar–foreground cluster pairs to study the cool, metal-rich gas in the outskirts (>R 500 ) of z ≈ 0.5 clusters with a median mass of ≈10 14.2 M ⊙ . The sample was obtained by crossmatching the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) cluster catalog of Wen & Han and the SDSS quasar catalog of Lyke et al. The median impact parameter (ρcl) of the clusters from the quasar sightlines is 2.4 Mpc (median ρ cl /R 500 = 3.6). A strong Mg II, along with marginal Fe II, absorption is detected in the mean and median stacked spectra of the quasars with a total Mg II rest-frame equivalent width (${W}_{r}^{2796+2803}$) of 0.034 ± 0.005 Å (7σ) and 0.010 ± 0.003 Å (3σ), respectively. The ${W}_{r}^{2796+2803}$ shows a declining trend with increasing ρcl and ρcl/R 500 , but does not show any significant trend with mass (M 500 ) or redshift (z cl ) within the small M500 and z cl ranges probed here. The Mg II absorption signal and the trends persist even if we exclude the quasar–cluster pairs where the background quasars may be probing the circumgalactic medium of bright galaxies with impact parameters <300 kpc. The Mg II (and Fe II) absorption reported here is the first detection of its kind. It indicates the presence of a cool, metal-rich gas reservoir surrounding galaxy clusters out to several R 500 . We suggest that the metal-rich gas in the cluster outskirts arise from stripped materials and that gas stripping may be important out to large clustocentric distances (>3R 500 ).

Intergalactic medium↗
DOE OSTI2023

Detecting and Characterizing Mg ii Absorption in DESI Survey Validation Quasar Spectra

Abstract We present findings of the detection of Magnesium II (Mg ii , λ = 2796, 2803 Å) absorbers from the early data release of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). DESI is projected to obtain spectroscopy of approximately 3 million quasars (QSOs), of which over 99% are anticipated to be at redshifts greater than z > 0.3, such that DESI would be able to observe an associated or intervening Mg ii absorber illuminated by the background QSO. We have developed an autonomous supplementary spectral pipeline that detects these systems through an initial line-fitting process and then confirms the line properties using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler. Based upon a visual inspection of the resulting systems, we estimate that this sample has a purity greater than 99%. We have also investigated the completeness of our sample in regard to both the signal-to-noise properties of the input spectra and the rest-frame equivalent width ( W 0 ) of the absorber systems. From a parent catalog containing 83,207 quasars, we detect a total of 23,921 Mg ii absorption systems following a series of quality cuts. Extrapolating from this occurrence rate of 28.8% implies a catalog at the completion of the five-year DESI survey that will contain over eight hundred thousand Mg ii absorbers. The cataloging of these systems will enable significant further research because they carry information regarding circumgalactic medium environments, the distribution of intervening galaxies, and the growth of metallicity across the redshift range 0.3 ≤ z < 2.5.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Constraining magnetic fields in the circumgalactic medium

ABSTRACT We study the properties of magnetic fields in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of z < 1 galaxies by correlating Faraday rotation measures (RMs) of ∼1000 high-redshift radio sources with the foreground galaxy number density estimated from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. This method enables us to extract signals of RMs contributed by intervening gas around multiple galaxies. Our results show that there is no detectable correlation between the distribution of RMs and the number of foreground galaxies, contrary to several previous results. Utilizing the non-detection signals, we estimate 3σ upper limits to the RMs from the CGM of $\sim \!20 \rm \ rad\, m^{-2}$ within 50 kpc and $\sim \!10 \rm \ rad \, m^{-2}$ at separations of 100 kpc. By adopting a column density distribution of ionized gas obtained from absorption-line measurements, we further estimate the strengths of coherent magnetic fields parallel to the line of sight of $\lt \rm 2 \ \mu G$ in the CGM. We show that the estimated upper limits of RMs and magnetic field strengths are sufficient to constrain outputs of recent galaxy magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Finally, we discuss possible causes for the inconsistency between our results and previous works.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Modeling the gas thermodynamics in BOSS CMASS galaxies from kinematic and thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich measurements

The thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects (tSZ, kSZ) probe the thermodynamic properties of the circumgalactic and intracluster medium (CGM and ICM) of galaxies, groups, and clusters, since they are proportional, respectively, to the integrated electron pressure and momentum along the line-of-sight. We present constraints on the gas thermodynamics of CMASS galaxies in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) using new measurements of the kSZ and tSZ signals obtained in a companion paper. Combining kSZ and tSZ measurements, we measure within our model the amplitude of energy injection $\epsilon M_\star c^2$, where $M_\star$ is the stellar mass, to be $\epsilon=(40\pm9)\times10^{-6}$, and the amplitude of the non-thermal pressure profile to be $\alpha_{\rm Nth}<0.2$ (2$\sigma$), indicating that less than 20% of the total pressure within the virial radius is due to a non-thermal component. We estimate the effects of including baryons in the modeling of weak-lensing galaxy cross-correlation measurements using the best fit density profile from the kSZ measurement. Our estimate reduces the difference between the original theoretical model and the weak-lensing galaxy cross-correlation measurements in arXiv:1611.08606 by half, but does not fully reconcile it. Comparing the kSZ and tSZ measurements to cosmological simulations, we find that they under predict the CGM pressure and to a lesser extent the CGM density at larger radii. This suggests that the energy injected via feedback models in the simulations that we compared against does not sufficiently heat the gas at these radii. We do not find significant disagreement at smaller radii. These measurements provide novel tests of current and future simulations. Here, this work demonstrates the power of joint, high signal-to-noise kSZ and tSZ observations, upon which future cross-correlation studies will improve.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spectral shape corrections for SDSS BOSS quasars

Modifications were made to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s Baryonic Oscillations Spectroscopic Survey (SDSS/BOSS) optical fibres assigned to quasar targets in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in the Ly-α forest. However, the consequence of these modifications is that quasars observed in this way require additional flux correction procedures in order to recover the correct spectral shapes. Here, in this paper, we describe such a procedure, based on the geometry of the problem, and other observational parameters. Applying several correction methods to four SDSS quasars with multiple observations permits a detailed verification of the relative performances of the different flux correction procedures. We contrast our method (which takes into account a wavelength-dependent seeing profile) with the BOSS pipeline approach (which does not). Our results provide independent confirmation that the geometric approach employed in the SDSS pipeline works well, although with room for improvement. By separating the contributions from four effects, we are able to quantify their relative importance. Most importantly, we demonstrate that wavelength dependence has a significant impact on the derived spectral shapes and thus should not be ignored.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measuring the giant radio galaxy length distribution with the LoTSS

Many massive galaxies launch jets from the accretion disk of their central black hole, but only ~10 3 instances are known in which the associated outflows form giant radio galaxies (GRGs, or giants): luminous structures of megaparsec extent that consist of atomic nuclei, relativistic electrons, and magnetic fields. Large samples are imperative to understanding the enigmatic growth of giants, and recent systematic searches in homogeneous surveys constitute a promising development. For the first time, it is possible to perform meaningful precision statistics with GRG lengths, but a framework to do so is missing. We measured the intrinsic GRG length distribution by combining a novel statistical framework with a LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) sample of freshly discovered giants. In turn, this allowed us to answer an array of questions on giants. For example, we can now assess how rare a 5 Mpc giant is compared with one of 1 Mpc, and how much larger – given a projected length – the corresponding intrinsic length is expected to be. Notably, we can now also infer the GRG number density in the Local Universe. We assumed the intrinsic GRG length distribution to be Paretian (i.e. of power-law form) with tail index ξ, and predicted the observed distribution by modelling projection and selection effects. To infer ξ, we also systematically searched the LoTSS for hitherto unknown giants and compiled the largest catalogue of giants to date. We show that if intrinsic GRG lengths are Pareto distributed with index ξ, then projected GRG lengths are also Pareto distributed with index ξ. Selection effects induce curvature in the observed projected GRG length distribution: angular length selection flattens it towards the lower end, while surface brightness selection steepens it towards the higher end. We explicitly derived a GRG’s posterior over intrinsic lengths given its projected length, laying bare the ξ dependence. We also discovered 2060 giants within LoTSS DR2 pipeline products; our sample more than doubles the known population. Spectacular discoveries include the largest, second-largest, and fourth-largest GRG known (l p = 5.1 Mpc, l p = 5.0 Mpc, and l p = 4.8 Mpc), the largest GRG known hosted by a spiral galaxy (l p = 2.5 Mpc), and the largest secure GRG known beyond redshift 1 (l p = 3.9 Mpc). We increase the number of known giants whose angular length exceeds that of the Moon from 10 to 23; among the discoveries is the angularly largest known radio galaxy in the Northern Sky, which is also the angularly largest known GRG ($\phi$ = 2°). Combining theory and data, we determined that intrinsic GRG lengths are well described by a Pareto distribution, and measured the index ξ = –3.5 ± 0.5. This implies that, given its projected length, a GRG’s intrinsic length is expected to be just 15% larger. Finally, we determined the comoving number density of giants in the Local Universe to be n GRG = 5 ± 2(100 Mpc) –3 . We developed a practical mathematical framework that elucidates the statistics of giant radio galaxy lengths. Through a LoTSS search, we also discovered 2060 new giants. By combining both advances, we determined that intrinsic GRG lengths are well described by a Pareto distribution with index ξ = –3.5 ± 0.5, and that giants are truly rare in a cosmological sense: most clusters and filaments of the Cosmic Web are not currently home to a giant. Thus, our work yields new observational constraints for analytical models and simulations featuring radio galaxy growth.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Redshift-space distortions in simulations of the 21-cm signal from the cosmic dawn

ABSTRACT The 21-cm signal from the Cosmic Dawn (CD) is likely to contain large fluctuations, with the most extreme astrophysical models on the verge of being ruled out by observations from radio interferometers. It is therefore vital that we understand not only the astrophysical processes governing this signal, but also other inherent processes impacting the signal itself, and in particular line-of-sight effects. Using our suite of fully numerical radiative transfer simulations, we investigate the impact on the redshifted 21-cm from the CD from one of these processes, namely the redshift-space distortions (RSDs). When RSDs are added, the resulting boost to the power spectra makes the signal more or equally detectable for our models for all redshifts, further strengthening hopes that a power spectra measurement of the CD will be possible. RSDs lead to anisotropy in the signal at the beginning and end of the CD, but not while X-ray heating is underway. The inclusion of RSDs, however, decreases detectability of the non-Gaussianity of fluctuations from inhomogeneous X-ray heating as measured by the skewness and kurtosis. On the other hand, mock observations created from all our simulations that include telescope noise corresponding to 1000 h of observation with the Square Kilometre Array telescope show that we may be able to image the CD for all heating models considered and suggest RSDs dramatically boost fluctuations coming from the inhomogeneous Ly α background.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ionizing radiation from AGNs at z > 3.3 with the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey and the CFHT Large Area U-band Deep Survey (CLAUDS)

ABSTRACT We use deep and wide imaging data from the CFHT Large Area U-band Deep Survey (CLAUDS) and the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) to constrain the ionizing radiation (Lyman Continuum, LyC) escape fraction from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ∼ 3–4. For 94 AGNs with spectroscopic redshifts at 3.3 < z < 4.0, we use their U/i-band flux ratios to estimate LyC transmission of individual AGNs. The distribution of their LyC transmission shows values lower than the range of LyC transmission values for IGM of the same redshift range, which suggests that LyC escape fraction of AGNs at z > 3.3 is considerably lower than unity in most cases. We do not find any trend in LyC transmission values depending on their UV luminosities. Based on the photometry of stacked images we find the average flux ratio of LyC and non-ionizing UV photons escaping from the objects (fLyC/fUV)out = 0.182 ± 0.043 for AGNs at 3.3 < z < 3.6, which corresponds to LyC escape fraction fesc = 0.303 ± 0.072 if we assume a fiducial intrinsic SED of AGN. Based on the estimated LyC escape fraction and the UV luminosity function (UVLF) of AGNs, we argue that UV-selected AGNs’ contribution to the LyC emissivity at the epoch is minor, although the size of their contribution largely depends on the shape of the UVLF.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗