The intergalactic medium and galaxy formation

Abstract

Recent observational and theoretical investigations of the intergalactic medium (IGM), defined as the component of the baryon-electron matter which now occupies the space between galaxies and which filled the pregalactic universe, are reviewed. Topics addressed include the Gunn-Peterson constraint on the history of the IGM, the mean mass density of the IGM at high redshift, requirements for ionizing the IGM, the observed quasar contribution, the thermal and ionization history of the IGM (quasar photoionization, stellar sources of the ionizing background, and alternative sources such as protogalactic shock radiation and the decay of exotic particles), and the hydrodynamical evolution of the IGM. Typical results from observations and numerical simulations are presented graphically.