Nonequilibrium Temperature Evolution of Ionization Fronts during the Epoch of Reionization

The epoch of reionization (EoR) marks the end of the Cosmic Dawn and the beginning of large-scale structure formation in the universe. The impulsive ionization fronts (I-fronts) heat and ionize the gas within the reionization bubbles in the intergalactic medium (IGM). The temperature during this process is a key yet uncertain ingredient in current models. Typically, reionization simulations assume that all baryonic species are in instantaneous thermal equilibrium with each other during the passage of an I-front. Here we present a new model of the temperature evolution for the ionization front by studying nonequilibrium effects. In particular, we include the energy transfer between major baryon species (e(-), H.I, H.II, He.I, and He.II) and investigate their impacts on the post-ionization front temperature T-re. For a better step-size control when solving the stiff equations, we implement an implicit method and construct an energy transfer rate matrix. We find that the assumption of equilibration is valid for a nonrelativistic ionization front (speed less than 10(9) cm s(-1)), but deviations from equilibrium occur for faster fronts. The post-front temperature T-re is lower by up to 19.7% (at 3 x 10(9) cm.s(-1)) or 30.8% (at 1010 cm.s-1) relative to the equilibrium case.

Automated summary

The epoch of reionization signifies the end of Cosmic Dawn and the beginning of large-scale structure formation in the universe, with gas temperature evolution being a key factor in current models. By studying nonequilibrium effects, a new model of the ionization front temperature evolution is proposed to show deviations from equilibrium, especially for faster ionization fronts, resulting in lower post-front temperatures.