842 research outputs found
The Keck+Magellan Survey for Lyman Limit Absorption II: A Case Study on Metallicity Variations
We present an absorption line analysis of the Lyman limit system (LLS) at
z=3.55 in our Magellan/MIKE spectrum of PKS2000-330. Our analysis of the Lyman
limit and full HI Lyman series constrains the total HI column density of the
LLS (N_HI = 10^[18.0 +/- 0.25] cm^{-2} for b_HI >= 20 km/s) and also the N_HI
values of the velocity subsystems comprising the absorber. We measure ionic
column densities for metal-line transitions associated with the subsystems and
use these values to constrain the ionization state (>90% ionized) and relative
abundances of the gas. We find an order of magnitude dispersion in the
metallicities of the subsystems, marking the first detailed analysis of
metallicity variations in an optically thick absorber. The results indicate
that metals are not well mixed within the gas surrounding high galaxies.
Assuming a single-phase photoionization model, we also derive an N_H-weighted
metallicity, = -1.66 +/- 0.25, which matches the mean metallicity in
the neutral ISM in high z damped Lya systems (DLAs). Because the line density
of LLSs is ~10 times higher than the DLAs, we propose that the former dominate
the metal mass-density at z~3 and that these metals reside in the galaxy/IGM
interface. Considerations of a multi-phase model do not qualitatively change
these conclusions. Finally, we comment on an anomalously large O^0/Si^+ ratio
in the LLS that suggests an ionizing radiation field dominated by soft UV
sources (e.g. a starburst galaxy). Additional abundance analysis is performed
on the super-LLS systems at z=3.19.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures (most in color). Accepted to Ap
A Direct Measurement of the IGM Opacity to HI Ionizing Photons
We present a new method to directly measure the opacity from HI Lyman limit
(LL) absorption k_LL along quasar sightlines by the intergalactic medium (IGM).
The approach analyzes the average (``stacked'') spectrum of an ensemble of
quasars at a common redshift to infer the mean free path (MFP) to ionizing
radiation. We apply this technique to 1800 quasars at z=3.50-4.34 drawn from
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), giving the most precise measurements on
k_LL at any redshift. From z=3.6 to 4.3, the opacity increases steadily as
expected and is well parameterized by MFP = (48.4 +/- 2.1) - (38.0 +/-
5.3)*(z-3.6) h^-1 Mpc (proper distance). The relatively high MFP values
indicate that the incidence of systems which dominate k_LL evolves less
strongly at z>3 than that of the Lya forest. We infer a mean free path three
times higher than some previous estimates, a result which has important
implications for the photo-ionization rate derived from the emissivity of star
forming galaxies and quasars. Finally, our analysis reveals a previously
unreported, systematic bias in the SDSS quasar sample related to the survey's
color targeting criteria. This bias potentially affects all z~3 IGM studies
using the SDSS database.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; Accepted to ApJ
The HST/ACS+WFC3 Survey for Lyman Limit Systems II: Science
We present the first science results from our Hubble Space Telescope Survey
for Lyman limit absorption systems (LLS) using the low dispersion spectroscopic
modes of the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3. Through
an analysis of 71 quasars, we determine the incidence frequency of LLS per unit
redshift and per unit path length, l(z) and l(x) respectively, over the
redshift range 1 < z< 2.6, and find a weighted mean of l(x)=0.29 +/-0.05 for
2.0 < z < 2.5 through a joint analysis of our sample and that of Ribaudo et al.
(2011). Through stacked spectrum analysis, we determine a median (mean) value
of the mean free path to ionizing radiation at z=2.4 of lambda_mfp =
243(252)h^(-1) Mpc, with an error on the mean value of +/- 43h^(-1) Mpc. We
also re-evaluate the estimates of lambda_mfp from Prochaska et al. (2009) and
place constraints on the evolution of lambda_mfp with redshift, including an
estimate of the "breakthrough" redshift of z = 1.6. Consistent with results at
higher z, we find that a significant fraction of the opacity for absorption of
ionizing photons comes from systems with N_HI <= 10^{17.5} cm^(-2) with a value
for the total Lyman opacity of tau_lyman = 0.40 +/- 0.15. Finally, we determine
that at minimum, a 5-parameter (4 power-law) model is needed to describe the
column density distribution function f(N_HI, X) at z \sim 2.4, find that
f(N_HI,X) undergoes no significant change in shape between z \sim 2.4 and z
\sim 3.7, and provide our best fit model for f(N_HI,X).Comment: 36 pages, 20 figures, 10 tables, revision to match accepted ApJ
versio
Archeops: an instrument for present and future cosmology
Archeops is a balloon-borne instrument dedicated to measure the cosmic
microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies. It has, in the millimetre
domain (from 143 to 545 GHz), a high angular resolution (about 10 arcminutes)
in order to constrain high l multipoles, as well as a large sky coverage
fraction (30%) in order to minimize the cosmic variance. It has linked, before
WMAP, Cobe large angular scales to the first acoustic peak region. From its
results, inflation motivated cosmologies are reinforced with a flat Universe
(Omega_tot=1 within 3%). The dark energy density and the baryonic density are
in very good agreement with other independent estimations based on supernovae
measurements and big bang nucleosynthesis. Important results on galactic dust
emission polarization and their implications for Planck are also addressed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Proceedings of the Multiwavelength
Cosmology Conference, June 2003, Mykonos Island, Greec
Constraining the variation of the coupling constants with big bang nucleosynthesis
We consider the possibility of the coupling constants of the gauge interactions at the time of big bang nucleosynthesis
having taken different values from what we measure at present, and investigate
the allowed difference requiring the shift in the coupling constants not
violate the successful calculation of the primordial abundances of the light
elements. We vary gauge couplings and Yukawa couplings (fermion masses) using a
model in which their relative variations are governed by a single scalar field,
dilaton, as found in string theory. The results include a limit on the fine
structure constant
, which is
two orders stricter than the limit obtained by considering the variation of
alone.Comment: 7 page
Cosmological parameters sigma_8, the baryon density, and the UV background intensity from a calibrated measurement of H I Lyman-alpha absorption at z = 1.9
We identify a concordant model for the intergalactic medium (IGM) at redshift
z=1.9 that uses popular values for cosmological and astrophysical parameters
and accounts for all baryons with an uncertainty of 6%. We have measured the
amount of absorption, DA, in the Ly-alpha forest at redshift 1.9 in spectra of
77 QSO from the Kast spectrograph. We calibrated the continuum fits with
realistic artificial spectra, and we found that averaged over all 77 QSOs the
mean continuum level is within 1-2% of the correct value. Absorption from all
lines in the Ly-alpha forest at z=1.9 removes DA=15.1 +/- 0.7% of the flux
between 1070 and 1170 (rest) Angstroms. This is the first measurement using
many QSOs at this z, and the first calibrated measurement at any redshift.
Metal lines absorb 2.3 +/- 0.5%, and LLS absorb 1.0 +/- 0.4% leaving 11.8 +/-
1.0% from the lower density bulk of the IGM. Averaging over Delta z=0.1 or 154
Mpc, the dispersion is 6.1 +/- 0.3% including LLS and metal lines, or 3.9
(+0.5, -0.7)% for the lower density IGM alone, consistent with the usual
description of large scale structure. LLS and metal lines are major
contributors to the variation in the mean flux, and they make the flux field
significantly non-Gaussian. We find that a hydrodynamic simulation on a 1024
cubed grid in a 75.7 Mpc box reproduces the observed DA from the low density
IGM with parameters values H_o=71 km/s/Mpc, Omega_Lambda=0.73, Omega_m=0.27,
Omega_b=0.044, sigma_8=0.9 and a UV background that has an ionization rate that
is 1.08 +/- 0.08 times the prediction by Madau, Haardt & Rees (1999).Comment: Submitted to Ap
Constraining The Universal Lepton Asymmetry
The relic cosmic background neutrinos accompanying the cosmic microwave
background (CMB) photons may hide a universal lepton asymmetry orders of
magnitude larger than the universal baryon asymmetry. At present, the only
direct way to probe such an asymmetry is through its effect on the abundances
of the light elements produced during primordial nucleosynthesis. The relic
light element abundances also depend on the baryon asymmetry, parameterized by
the baryon density parameter (eta_B = n_B/n_gamma = 10^(-10)*eta_10), and on
the early-universe expansion rate, parameterized by the expansion rate factor
(S = H'/H) or, equivalently by the effective number of neutrinos (N_nu = 3 +
43(S^2 - 1)/7). We use data from the CMB (and Large Scale Structure: LSS) along
with the observationally-inferred relic abundances of deuterium and helium-4 to
provide new bounds on the universal lepton asymmetry, finding for eta_L, the
analog of eta_B, 0.072 +/- 0.053 if it is assumed that N_nu = 3 and, 0.115 +/-
0.095 along with N_nu = 3.3^{+0.7}_{-0.6}, if N_nu is free to vary
The UCSD HIRES/KeckI Damped Lya Abundance Database III. An Empirical Study of Photoionization in the Damped Lya System Toward GB1759+7539
We investigate the ionization state of the damped Lya system at z=2.62 toward
GB1759+7539 through an analysis of ionic ratios sensitive to photoionization:
ArI/SII, FeIII/FeII, NII/NI, AlIII/AlII. Approximately half of the metals arise
in a mostly neutral velocity component with HI/H > 0.9, based on FeIII/FeII <
0.013. In contrast, the remaining half exhibits FeIII/FeII~0.3 indicative of a
partially ionized medium with HI/H~0.5. These conclusions are supported by the
observed NII/NI, AlIII/AlII, and ArI/SII ratios.
We assess ionization corrections for the observed column densities through
photoionization models derived from the CLOUDY software package. In the neutral
gas, the ionization corrections are negligible except for ArI. However for the
partially ionized gas, element abundance ratios differ from the ionic ratios by
0.1-0.3 dex for (SiII, SII, NiII, AlII)/FeII ratios and more for (NI,
ArI)/FeII. Independent of the shape of the photoionizing spectrum and
assumptions on the number of ionization phases, these ionization corrections
have minimal impact (<0.1dex) on the total metallicity inferred for this damped
Lya system. Measurements on the relative elemental abundances of the partially
ionized gas, however, have a greater than ~0.15 dex uncertainty which hides the
effects of nucleosynthesis and dust depletion.
We caution the reader that this damped system is unusual for a number of
reasons (e.g. a very low ArI/SII ratio) and we believe its ionization
properties are special but not unique. Nevertheless, it clearly shows the value
of examining photoionization diagnostics like FeIII/FeII in a larger sample of
systems.Comment: 19 pages with 11 b&w figures. Visit the DLA database at
http://kingpin.ucsd.edu/~hiresdla for more. Accepted to the Astrophysical
Journal, Feb 5 200
The Deuterium to Hydrogen Abundance Ratio Towards a Fourth QSO: HS0105+1619
We report the measurement of the primordial D/H abundance ratio towards QSO
\object. The column density of the hydrogen in the Lyman limit
system is high, \lnhi \cmm, allowing for the deuterium to
be seen in 5 Lyman series transitions. The measured value of the D/H ratio
towards QSO \object is found to be D/H. The
metallicity of the system showing D/H is found to be solar,
indicating that the measured D/H is the primordial D/H within the measurement
errors. The gas which shows D/H is neutral, unlike previous D/H systems which
were more highly ionized. Thus, the determination of the D/H ratio becomes more
secure since we are measuring it in different astrophysical environments, but
the error is larger because we now see more dispersion between measurements.
Combined with prior measurements of D/H, the best D/H ratio is now D/H, which is 10% lower than the previous value. The new
values for the baryon to photon ratio, and baryonic matter density derived from
D/H are and \ob
respectively.Comment: Minor text and reference changes. To appear in the May 10, 2001 issue
of the Astrophysical Journa
The UCSD HIRES/KeckI Damped Lya Abundance Database: I. The Data
We present new chemical abundance measurements of 16 damped Lya systems at
z>1.5 and update our previous abundance analyses. The entire database presented
here was derived from HIRES observations on the Keck I telescope, reduced with
the same software package, and analysed with identical techniques. Altogether,
we present a large, homogeneous database of chemical abundance measurements for
protogalaxies in the early universe, ideal for studying a number of important
aspects of galaxy formation. In addition, we have established an online
directory for this database and will continuously update the results.Comment: 49 pages, 39 figures. Uses emulateapj.sty. Accepted to ApJS June 8,
2001. Visit http://kingpin.ucsd.edu/~hiresdl
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