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Early star-forming galaxies and the reionization of the Universe

Nature volume 468, pages 49–55 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Star-forming galaxies trace cosmic history. Recent observational progress with the NASA Hubble Space Telescope has led to the discovery and study of the earliest known galaxies, which correspond to a period when the Universe was only ∼800 million years old. Intense ultraviolet radiation from these early galaxies probably induced a major event in cosmic history: the reionization of intergalactic hydrogen.

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Figure 1: Cosmic reionization.
Figure 2: Ionizing flux from high-redshift galaxies.
Figure 3: Distant star-forming galaxies and reionization.
Figure 4: Tracing the end of reionization with the Lyα line.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Klypin for the use of his cosmological simulation, and A. Loeb, A. Shapley and L. Hernquist for comments. B.E.R. acknowledges support from a Hubble Fellowship. R.S.E. acknowledges the hospitality of Leiden Observatory. J.S.D. acknowledges the support of the Royal Society through a Wolfson Research Merit award, and also the support of the European Research Council through the award of an Advanced Grant. R.J.M. acknowledges the support of the Royal Society through a University Research Fellowship. D.P.S. acknowledges financial support from an STFC postdoctoral research fellowship and a Schlumberger Research Fellowship at Darwin College.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, California 91125, USA,

    Brant E. Robertson & Richard S. Ellis

  2. Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK

    James S. Dunlop & Ross J. McLure

  3. Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HA, UK

    Daniel P. Stark

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Contributions

B.E.R. and R.S.E. wrote the main manuscript text. B.E.R. performed the calculations presented in Box 2 and Figs 1–3. J.S.D. and R.J.M. prepared and analysed the data presented in Box 3. D.P.S. prepared and analysed the data presented in Fig. 4. All authors reviewed, discussed and commented on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Brant E. Robertson.

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Robertson, B., Ellis, R., Dunlop, J. et al. Early star-forming galaxies and the reionization of the Universe. Nature 468, 49–55 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09527

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