Analytical model for scattered Lyα emission in the post-reionization intergalactic medium

ABSTRACT Ly$\alpha$ intensity mapping is emerging as a new probe of faint galaxies consisting the cosmic web that elude traditional surveys. However, the resonant nature of Ly$\alpha$ radiative transfer complicates the interpretation of observed data. In this study, we develop a fast and accurate analytical prescription for computing the Ly$\alpha$ intensity field on Mpc scales in the post-reionization Universe. Motivated by insights from Monte Carlo radiative transfer (MCRT) experiments, we exploit the fact that in a highly ionized intergalactic medium (IGM) with negligible damping-wing opacity, cosmological redshifting quickly drives Ly$\alpha$ photons out of resonance, terminating the scattering process and simplifying their large-scale behaviour. Photons emitted blueward of the Ly$\alpha$ line centre tend to scatter on a thin, nearly spherical surface of last scattering, with a radius determined by the redshifting distance to resonance. Based on this behaviour, we derive closed-form expressions for the scattered emissivity and projected surface brightness that depend only on the source spectrum, the H i density, and the peculiar velocity field. When applied to a source in a realistically simulated IGM at $z = 3$, our model shows mild discrepancies with MCRT results within a physical Mpc of the host halo, where strong gravitational infall redistributes the scattered photons, but achieves better than 5 per cent accuracy beyond that distance in angle-averaged radial surface brightness profile. Our prescription offers a computationally efficient alternative to MCRT for forward-modelling Ly$\alpha$ intensity maps from cosmological simulations, enabling the inference of underlying cosmological and astrophysical parameters from future observations.