Peering into cosmic reionization: the Ly$\alpha$ visibility evolution from galaxies at $z$ = 4.5-8.5 with JWST

Understand

The resonant scattering interaction between Ly$\alpha$ photons and neutral hydrogen implies that a partially neutral IGM can significantly impact the detectability of Ly$\alpha$ emission in galaxies.

• The redshift evolution of the Ly$\alpha$ equivalent width distribution of galaxies thus offers a key probe of the degree of ionization during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR).
• Previous in-depth investigations at $z$ $\geq$ 7 were limited by ground-based instrument capabilities.
• We present an extensive study of Ly$\alpha$ emission from galaxies at 4 < $z$ < 8.5, observed from the CEERS and JADES surveys in the JWST NIRSpec/PRISM configuration.