Abstract

Galaxy spectra hold vital clues to understanding the mechanism behind the Epoch of Reionization and subsequent galaxy evolution. By looking at the spectra of early galaxies we can determine if high redshift galaxies produced enough ionizing photons, or Lyman Continuum (LyC) photons, to drive reionization. However, the neutral intergalactic medium impedes our ability to directly measure the fraction of ionizing photons escaping galaxies during this early stage of our Universe. As a result, it’s imperative that we develop a method to measure the escape fraction indirectly. In my talk, I will be discussing how Mg II could serve as a potential tracer for the escape fraction of ionizing radiation from early star-forming galaxies. Additionally, I will talk about how we plan to use Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) data to investigate the relationship between LyC and MgII for 14 nearby galaxies and our hopes to apply this methodology to future JWST data.