Constraints on the End of Reionization from the Density Fields Surrounding Two Highly Opaque Quasar Sightlines

Abstract

Abstract The observed large-scale scatter in Lyα opacity of the intergalactic medium at z < 6 implies large fluctuations in the neutral hydrogen fraction that are unexpected long after reionization has ended. A number of models have emerged to explain these fluctuations that make testable predictions for the relationship between Lyα opacity and density. We present selections of z = 5.7 Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) in the fields surrounding two highly opaque quasar sightlines with long Lyα troughs. The fields lie toward the z = 6.0 quasar ULAS J0148+0600, for which we reanalyze previously published results using improved photometric selection, and toward the z = 6.15 quasar SDSS J1250+3130, for which results are presented here for the first time. In both fields, we report a deficit of LAEs within 20 h −1 Mpc of the quasar. The association of highly opaque sightlines with galaxy underdensities in these two fields is consistent with models in which the scatter in Lyα opacity is driven by large-scale fluctuations in the ionizing UV background or by an ultra-late reionization that has not yet concluded at z = 5.7.