Probing the Epoch of Reionization with the Lyman Alpha Forest at z~4-5

Abstract

The inhomogeneous cosmological reionization process leaves tangible imprints in the intergalactic medium down to z=4-5. The Lyman-alpha forest flux power spectrum provides a potentially powerful probe of the epoch of reionization. With the existing SDSS I/II quasar sample we show that two cosmological reionization scenarios, one completing reionization at z=6 and the other at z=9, can be distinguished at ~7 sigma level by utilizing Lyman alpha forest absorption spectra at z=4.5+-0.5, in the absence of other physical processes that may also affect the Lyman alpha flux power spectrum. The redshift range z=4-5 may provide the best window, because there is still enough transmitted flux and quasars to measure precise statistics of the flux fluctuations, and the IGM still retains a significant amount of memory of reionization.