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Evidence for inhomogeneous reionization in the local Universe from metal-poor globular cluster systems

Spitler, Lee R. ; Romanowsky, Aaron J. ; Diemand, Jürg ; Strader, Jay ; Forbes, Duncan A. ; Moore, Ben ; Brodie, Jean P.

In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2012, vol. 423, no. 3, p. 2177-2189

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    Titel
    • Evidence for inhomogeneous reionization in the local Universe from metal-poor globular cluster systems
    Autor
    • Spitler, Lee R.. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
    • Romanowsky, Aaron J.. University of California Observatories, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
    • Diemand, Jürg. Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zürich, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
    • Strader, Jay. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
    • Forbes, Duncan A.. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
    • Moore, Ben. Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zürich, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
    • Brodie, Jean P.. University of California Observatories, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
    Dokumententyp
    • Postprint
    Sprache
    • Englisch
    Veröffentlicht in
    • Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2012, vol. 423, no. 3, p. 2177-2189. Blackwell Publishing Ltd
    Andere elektronische Ausgabe
    OAI-PMH-ID
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:300734
    Summary
    Exploiting a fundamental characteristic of galaxy assembly in the Λ cold dark matter paradigm, the observed spatial biasing and kinematics of metal-poor globular star clusters are used to constrain the local reionization epoch around individual galaxies. Selecting three galaxies located in different environments, the first attempt at constraining the environmental propagation of reionization in the local Universe is carried out. The joint constraint from the three galaxies () agrees remarkably well with the latest Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe constraint on zreion for a simple instantaneous reionization model. More importantly, the range of zreion values found here is consistent with the global range of zreion estimates from other observations. We furthermore find a 1.7σ indication that reionization completed in low-density environments before the intergalactic medium in high-density environments was reionized. This is consistent with certain theoretical models that predict that reionization was globally prolonged in duration, with neutral hydrogen pockets surviving in high-density environments, even after the surrounding regions were reionized. More generally, this work provides a useful constraint on the formation history of galaxy stellar haloes