LIMFAST. IV. Learning High-Redshift Galaxy Formation from Multiline Intensity Mapping with Implicit Likelihood Inference

Abstract: By opening up new avenues to statistically constrain astrophysics and cosmology with large-scale structure observations, the line intensity mapping (LIM) technique calls for novel tools for efficient forward modeling and inference. Implicit likelihood inference (ILI) from semi-numerical simulations provides a powerful setup for investigating a large model parameter space in a data-driven manner, therefore gaining significant recent attention. Using simulations of high-redshift 158$\mu$m [CII] and 88$\mu$m [OIII] LIM signals created by the LIMFAST code, we develop an ILI framework in a case study of learning the physics of early galaxy formation from the auto-power spectra of these lines or their cross-correlation with galaxy surveys. We leverage neural density estimation with normalizing flows to learn the mapping between the simulated power spectra and parameters that characterize the physics governing the star formation efficiency and the $\dot{\Sigma}{\star}$-$\Sigma\mathrm{g}$ relation of high-redshift galaxies. Our results show that their partially degenerate effects can be unambiguously constrained when combining [CII] with [OIII] measurements to be made by new-generation mm/sub-mm LIM experiments.