{
  "abstract": "High-mass X-ray binaries are one of the primary drivers of the 21-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn and Reionization, playing a leading role in the thermal history of the intergalactic medium. In traditional semi-numerical simulations, a deterministic scaling relation between the total X-ray luminosity of high-mass X-ray binaries, LX, and star formation rate (SFR) is usually adopted. However, this assumption is inaccurate for high-redshift low-SFR regions hosting few sources. The spatial variation in the number and luminosity of these sources is expected to enhance fluctuations in the Cosmic Dawn 21-cm signal. Here we quantify this effect by introducing a stochastic LX model sampled from a power-law X-ray luminosity function. Implementing this in 21cmSPACE, a large-scale simulation framework of Cosmic Dawn and Reionization, and adopting a soft X-ray spectral energy distribution (β = 1.5, Emin = 0.1 keV) that leads to a relatively strong stochastic signature, we find that the stochasticity leads to enhanced fluctuations in X-ray heating rate fields, and affects the 21-cm power spectrum on small scales (k > 0.3 cMpc−1). The impact of stochasticity on the global 21-cm signal and on the large-scale power spectrum is found to be negligible. Our results suggest these effects will remain undetected by the upcoming Square Kilometer Array. However, large-scale lunar-based experiments may be sensitive to the signatures of stochastic X-ray heating at z ∼ 25. Quantifying these corrections is a vital step toward robust 21-cm modeling and ensuring that future precision data interpretation is free from astrophysical biases.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge , Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA ,",
    "Kavli Institute for Cosmology , Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA ,",
    "Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Zentrum für Astronomie , Universität Heidelberg, Albert Ueberle Straße 2, D-69120 Heidelberg ,",
    "National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 20A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101 ,",
    "School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No.1 Yanqihu East Rd, Huairou District, Beijing 101408 ,",
    "School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978 ,"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Saswata Dasgupta"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Boyuan Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Anastasia Fialkov"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Furen Deng",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8075-0909"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jiten Dhandha",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1481-0907"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Rennan Barkana"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/85am7vb1j52b5.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/mnras/stag1997",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "85am7vb1j52b5",
  "issns": [
    "0035-8711",
    "1365-2966"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/stag1997/8965443",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7154342052",
  "pdf_url": "https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/mnras/stag1997/72259378/stag1997.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press (OUP)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/85am7vb1j52b5.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:17Z",
      "native_id": "10.1093/mnras/stag1997",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/stag1997/8965443"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Impact of Stochastic Pop III X-ray Binaries on the Cosmological 21-cm Signal",
  "title_text": "Impact of Stochastic Pop III X-ray Binaries on the Cosmological 21-cm Signal",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:17Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/85am7vb1j52b5",
  "venue": "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society",
  "versions": []
}