Tufts/CfA/MIT Cosmology Seminar, at the CfA:

Tuesday, October 26, 1999
12:30 pm
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Pratt Conference Room

"Light and Shadow in the Early Universe: An Inhomogeneous Reionization Driven by Stellar Feedback"


Benedetta Ciardi
Firenze/CfA

Abstract:

In this talk I will review the reionization of the intergalactic medium due to an inhomogeneous distribution of sources. In particular I will focus on the interplay between the reionization process itself and galaxy formation, regulated by radiative and stellar feedback. The combination of high resolution numerical simulations and detailed semi-analytical calculations has allowed us to derive the topology and the filling factor of the ionized regions as a function of cosmic time, the cosmic star formation rate and the final fate of ionizing objects. I will briefly summarize some recent results of the effect of such a reionization history on the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation and of the gravitational wave emission from the Very Massive Objects formed in our model.