Abstract

Reionization is the period of the universe where it transitioned from a neutral state to an ionized state. Many questions around this epoch still persist, such as when did reionization occur, what were the driving mechanisms, and how long did reionization last? I set out to answer these questions and better understand reionization by focusing on how galaxy properties correlate with Lyman-Alpha emission. To this end, I will use the HETDEX spectroscopic survey, paired with Bayesian SED fitting to make a predictive distribution for Lyman Alpha strength that is tied to galaxy properties. This can be used as an improved estimate of the emergent Lyman-Alpha emission from distant galaxies, improving constraints on reionization. Thus far, I have worked on a small sample of galaxies in the North-Ecliptic Pole (NEP) working on getting SED fitting to determine global galaxy properties. Using the best-fit galaxy property values, binning them according to stellar mass, dust attenuation, etc. will reveal if there are any correlation between the given property and its Lyman-Alpha line strength. Once correlations between a given galaxy property and Lyman-alpha emission are found, I will work on making a predictive model that will tell anyone for a given set of galaxy properties the Lyman-Alpha line strength that it corresponds to.