Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars

The thermal state of the intergalactic medium contains vital information about the epoch of reionization, one of the most transformative yet poorly understood periods in the young Universe. This thermal state is encoded in the small-scale structure of Lyman-α (Ly α) absorption in quasar spectra. The...

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Autores: Wolfson, Molly, Hennawi, Joseph F., Davies, Frederick B., Oñorbe Bernis, José, Hiss, Hector, Lukic, Zarija
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/178599
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/178599
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2920
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Methods: statistical
Intergalactic medium
Quasars: absorption lines
Dark ages
Reionization
First stars
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spelling Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasarsWolfson, MollyHennawi, Joseph F.Davies, Frederick B.Oñorbe Bernis, JoséHiss, HectorLukic, ZarijaMethods: statisticalIntergalactic mediumQuasars: absorption linesDark agesReionizationFirst starsThe thermal state of the intergalactic medium contains vital information about the epoch of reionization, one of the most transformative yet poorly understood periods in the young Universe. This thermal state is encoded in the small-scale structure of Lyman-α (Ly α) absorption in quasar spectra. The 1D flux power spectrum measures the average small-scale structure along quasar sightlines. At high redshifts, where the opacity is large, averaging mixes high signal-to-noise ratio transmission spikes with noisy absorption troughs. Wavelet amplitudes are an alternate statistic that maintains spatial information while quantifying fluctuations at the same spatial frequencies as the power spectrum, giving them the potential to more sensitively measure the small-scale structure. Previous Ly α forest studies using wavelet amplitude probability density functions (PDFs) used limited spatial frequencies and neglected strong correlations between PDF bins and across wavelets scales, resulting in suboptimal and unreliable parameter inference. Here we present a novel method for performing statistical inference using wavelet amplitude PDFs that spans the full range of spatial frequencies probed by the power spectrum and that fully accounts for these correlations. We applied this procedure to realistic mock data drawn from a simple thermal model parametrized by the temperature at mean density, T0, and find that wavelets deliver 1σ constraints on T0 that are on average 7 per cent more sensitive at z = 5 (12 per cent at z = 6) than those from the power spectrum. We consider the possibility of combing wavelet PDFs with the power, but find that this does not lead to improved sensitivity.Oxford University PressFísica Atómica, Molecular y NuclearNational Science Foundation. United States2021info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/11441/178599https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2920reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevillainstname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)InglésMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 508 (4), 5493-5513.1816006https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2920info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:idus.us.es:11441/1785992026-06-17T12:51:07Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
title Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
spellingShingle Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
Wolfson, Molly
Methods: statistical
Intergalactic medium
Quasars: absorption lines
Dark ages
Reionization
First stars
title_short Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
title_full Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
title_fullStr Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
title_full_unstemmed Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
title_sort Improving IGM temperature constraints using wavelet analysis on high-redshift quasars
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Wolfson, Molly
Hennawi, Joseph F.
Davies, Frederick B.
Oñorbe Bernis, José
Hiss, Hector
Lukic, Zarija
author Wolfson, Molly
author_facet Wolfson, Molly
Hennawi, Joseph F.
Davies, Frederick B.
Oñorbe Bernis, José
Hiss, Hector
Lukic, Zarija
author_role author
author2 Hennawi, Joseph F.
Davies, Frederick B.
Oñorbe Bernis, José
Hiss, Hector
Lukic, Zarija
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear
National Science Foundation. United States
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Methods: statistical
Intergalactic medium
Quasars: absorption lines
Dark ages
Reionization
First stars
topic Methods: statistical
Intergalactic medium
Quasars: absorption lines
Dark ages
Reionization
First stars
description The thermal state of the intergalactic medium contains vital information about the epoch of reionization, one of the most transformative yet poorly understood periods in the young Universe. This thermal state is encoded in the small-scale structure of Lyman-α (Ly α) absorption in quasar spectra. The 1D flux power spectrum measures the average small-scale structure along quasar sightlines. At high redshifts, where the opacity is large, averaging mixes high signal-to-noise ratio transmission spikes with noisy absorption troughs. Wavelet amplitudes are an alternate statistic that maintains spatial information while quantifying fluctuations at the same spatial frequencies as the power spectrum, giving them the potential to more sensitively measure the small-scale structure. Previous Ly α forest studies using wavelet amplitude probability density functions (PDFs) used limited spatial frequencies and neglected strong correlations between PDF bins and across wavelets scales, resulting in suboptimal and unreliable parameter inference. Here we present a novel method for performing statistical inference using wavelet amplitude PDFs that spans the full range of spatial frequencies probed by the power spectrum and that fully accounts for these correlations. We applied this procedure to realistic mock data drawn from a simple thermal model parametrized by the temperature at mean density, T0, and find that wavelets deliver 1σ constraints on T0 that are on average 7 per cent more sensitive at z = 5 (12 per cent at z = 6) than those from the power spectrum. We consider the possibility of combing wavelet PDFs with the power, but find that this does not lead to improved sensitivity.
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/11441/178599
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2920
url https://hdl.handle.net/11441/178599
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2920
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 508 (4), 5493-5513.
1816006
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2920
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Oxford University Press
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Oxford University Press
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
instname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
instname_str Universidad de Sevilla (US)
reponame_str idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
collection idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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