Constraining reionization morphology and source properties with 21cm galaxy cross-correlation surveys

Abstract

Cross-correlations between 21cm observations and galaxy surveys provide a powerful probe of reionization by providing robustness against foreground contamination while linking ionization morphology to galaxies. We quantified the constraining power of 21cm galaxy cross-power spectra for inferring the neutral hydrogen fraction, $x_\mathrm{HI}(z),$ and mean overdensity, $\langle 1+δ_\mathrm{HI} \rangle(z)$, exploring dependence on the field of view; redshift precision, $σ_z$; and minimum halo mass, $M_\mathrm{h,min}$. We employed our simulation-based inference framework EoRFlow for likelihood-free parameter estimation. Mock observations include thermal noise for 100h of SKA-Low with foreground avoidance and realistic galaxy-survey effects. For a fiducial survey ($\mathrm{FOV}=100\,\mathrm{deg}^2$, $σ_z=0.001$, $M_\mathrm{h,min}=10^{11}\mathrm{M}_\odot$), cross-power spectra yield unbiased constraints with posterior volumes (PVs) of $\sim$10% relative to priors. Cross-power measurements reduce the PV by 20-30% versus 21cm auto-power alone. With foreground avoidance, spectroscopic redshift precision is essential; photometric redshifts render cross-correlations uninformative. Notably, cross-power spectra constrain ionizing source properties, the escape fraction $f_\mathrm{esc,}$ and the star formation efficiency $f_*$, which remain degenerate in auto-power (PV >60%). Tight constraints require either deep surveys detecting faint galaxies ($M_\mathrm{h,min} \sim 10^{10}\mathrm{M}_\odot$) with moderate foregrounds (PV~11%) or conservative mass limits with optimistic foreground removal (PV~19%). 21cm galaxy cross-correlations enhance morphology constraints beyond auto-power while enabling previously inaccessible source property constraints. Realizing full potential requires precise redshifts and either faint galaxy detection limits or improved 21cm foreground cleaning.