The Epoch of Reionization

Funder	Science and Technology Facilities Council
Recipient Organization	University of Edinburgh
Country	United Kingdom
Start Date	Aug 31, 2023
End Date	Feb 28, 2027
Duration	1,277 days
Number of Grantees	2
Roles	Student; Supervisor
Data Source	UKRI Gateway to Research
Grant ID	`2903972`

Grant Description

The Epoch of Reionization is an important part of our cosmic history where the first stars and galaxies were formed and the Universe transitioned into it's present state. A key part of constructing the timeline of reionization is understanding how the global neutral hydrogen fraction (the

fraction of the Universe which is still neutral) evolves with cosmic time. The density of ionizing photons in a volume is an important parameter to constrain in the calculation of neutral hydrogen fraction. The ionizing photons are produced in the early galaxies so their formation and evolution is intertwined with the progression of the epoch itself.

This PhD project aims to utilise three large survey programs in the COSMOS-CANDELS field, namely the MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) COSMOS Large Program,

PRIMER (Public Release IMaging for Extragalactic Research) and JELS (JWST Emission Line Survey), to study the properties of galaxies in the late epoch of reionization. From these observable properties, ionizing efficiencies and Lyman continuum escape fractions can be derived which will advance our understanding of both galaxy evolution and the process of reionization.