| |
 |
| Paper: |
Spatially Resolving the Fundamental Elements of Reionization in Galaxies |
| Monograph: |
10, HWO25 Proceedings Part I: Community Science Case Development Documents |
| Page: |
169 |
| Authors: |
Xinfeng Xu; Stephan McCandliss; Allison Strom; Hsiao-Wen Chen; Yumi Choi; Annalisa Citro; Håkon Dahle; Matthew J. Hayes; Anne Jaskot; Logan Jones; Gagandeep Kaur; Themiya Nanayakkara; Alexandra Le Reste |
| DOI: |
10.26624/IJDS4845 |
| Abstract: |
Cosmic reionization marks a critical epoch when the first galaxies ionized the intergalactic medium
through the escape of Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation. Young, massive star clusters are believed to be the
primary LyC sources, yet the physical mechanisms enabling LyC escape remain poorly understood. Most
existing studies rely on spatially integrated observations, which lack the resolution to resolve internal galaxy
structure and pinpoint where and how LyC photons escape. To address this, we propose a science case for
the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) that enables spatially resolved spectroscopy of LyC-emitting star
clusters and their environments in low-redshift galaxies. This requires a UV integral field unit (IFU) with
coverage down to ∼900 Angstroms and a spatial resolution of 10–100 pc—capabilities essential for directly detecting
LyC escape and mapping the surrounding interstellar medium. With such instrumentation, we will map
star-cluster-scale LyC escape fractions, characterize the physical conditions of the surrounding interstellar
medium, and directly localize feedback-driven outflows that facilitate LyC leakage. These observations
are required to robustly identify and calibrate indirect LyC indicators at unprecedented spatial resolution.
These will allow us to establish direct connections between local processes that facilitate LyC leakage and
those in high-redshift, clumpy star-forming galaxies. In the long run, this program will build the physical
framework needed to understand how galaxies reionized the early universe and influenced the evolution of
both themselves and the universe as a whole. |
|
|
|
|
|
