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DOE OSTI2017

Helium Reionization Simulations. II. Signatures of Quasar Activity on the IGM

We have run a new suite of simulations that solve hydrodynamics and radiative transfer simultaneously to study helium ii reionization. Our suite of simulations employs various models for populating quasars inside of dark matter halos, which affect the He ii reionization history. In particular, we are able to explore the impact that differences in the timing and duration of reionization have on observables. We examine the thermal signature that reionization leaves on the intergalactic medium (IGM), and measure the temperature-density relation. As previous studies have shown, we confirm that the photoheating feedback from helium ii reionization raises the temperature of the IGM by several thousand kelvin. To compare against observations, we generate synthetic Lyα forest sightlines on-the-fly and match the observed effective optical depth τ{sub eff}(z) of hydrogen to recent observations. We show that when the simulations have been normalized to have the same values of τ{sub eff}, the effect that helium ii reionization has on observations of the hydrogen Lyα forest is minimal. Specifically, the flux PDF and the one-dimensional power spectrum are sensitive to the thermal state of the IGM, but do not show direct evidence for the ionization state of helium. We show that the peak temperature of the IGM typically corresponds to the time of 90%–95% helium ionization by volume, and is a relatively robust indicator of the timing of reionization. Future observations of helium reionization from the hydrogen Lyα forest should thus focus on measuring the temperature of the IGM, especially at mean density. Detecting the peak in the IGM temperature would provide valuable information about the timing of the end of helium ii reionization.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

SPATIALLY EXTENDED 21 cm SIGNAL FROM STRONGLY CLUSTERED UV AND X-RAY SOURCES IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE

We present our prediction for the local 21 cm differential brightness temperature (δT{sub b}) from a set of strongly clustered sources of Population III (Pop III) and II (Pop II) objects in the early universe, by a numerical simulation of their formation and radiative feedback. These objects are located inside a highly biased environment, which is a rare, high-density peak (“Rarepeak”) extending to ∼7 comoving Mpc. We study the impact of ultraviolet and X-ray photons on the intergalactic medium (IGM) and the resulting δT{sub b}, when Pop III stars are assumed to emit X-ray photons by forming X-ray binaries very efficiently. We parameterize the rest-frame spectral energy distribution of X-ray photons, which regulates X-ray photon-trapping, IGM-heating, secondary Lyα pumping and the resulting morphology of δT{sub b}. A combination of emission (δT{sub b} > 0) and absorption (δT{sub b} < 0) regions appears in varying amplitudes and angular scales. The boost of the signal by the high-density environment (δ ∼ 0.64) and on a relatively large scale combines to make Rarepeak a discernible, spatially extended (θ ∼ 10′) object for 21 cm observation at 13 ≲ z ≲ 17, which is found to be detectable as a single object by SKA with integration time of ∼1000 hr. Power spectrum analysis by some of the SKA precursors (Low Frequency Array, Murchison Widefield Array, Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization) of such rare peaks is found to be difficult due to the rarity of these peaks, and the contribution only by these rare peaks to the total power spectrum remains subdominant compared to that by all astrophysical sources.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

FOREGROUND MODEL AND ANTENNA CALIBRATION ERRORS IN THE MEASUREMENT OF THE SKY-AVERAGED λ21 cm SIGNAL AT z∼ 20

The most promising near-term observable of the cosmic dark age prior to widespread reionization (z ∼ 15-200) is the sky-averaged λ21 cm background arising from hydrogen in the intergalactic medium. Though an individual antenna could in principle detect the line signature, data analysis must separate foregrounds that are orders of magnitude brighter than the λ21 cm background (but that are anticipated to vary monotonically and gradually with frequency, e.g., they are considered {sup s}pectrally smooth{sup )}. Using more physically motivated models for foregrounds than in previous studies, we show that the intrinsic spectral smoothness of the foregrounds is likely not a concern, and that data analysis for an ideal antenna should be able to detect the λ21 cm signal after subtracting a ∼fifth-order polynomial in log ν. However, we find that the foreground signal is corrupted by the angular and frequency-dependent response of a real antenna. The frequency dependence complicates modeling of foregrounds commonly based on the assumption of spectral smoothness. Our calculations focus on the Large-aperture Experiment to detect the Dark Age, which combines both radiometric and interferometric measurements. We show that statistical uncertainty remaining after fitting antenna gain patterns to interferometric measurements is not anticipated to compromise extraction of the λ21 cm signal for a range of cosmological models after fitting a seventh-order polynomial to radiometric data. Our results generalize to most efforts to measure the sky-averaged spectrum.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

PROBING THE EPOCH OF PRE-REIONIZATION BY CROSS-CORRELATING COSMIC MICROWAVE AND INFRARED BACKGROUND ANISOTROPIES

The epoch of first star formation and the state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at that time are not directly observable with current telescopes. The radiation from those early sources is now part of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) and, as these sources ionize the gas around them, the IGM plasma would produce faint temperature anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) via the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (TSZ) effect. While these TSZ anisotropies are too faint to be detected, we show that the cross-correlation of maps of source-subtracted CIB fluctuations from Euclid, with suitably constructed microwave maps at different frequencies, can probe the physical state of the gas during reionization and test/constrain models of the early CIB sources. We identify the frequency-combined, CMB-subtracted microwave maps from space- and ground-based instruments to show that they can be cross-correlated with the forthcoming all-sky Euclid CIB maps to detect the cross-power at scales ∼5'-60' with signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of up to S/N ∼ 4-8 depending on the contribution to the Thomson optical depth during those pre-reionization epochs (Δτ ≅ 0.05) and the temperature of the IGM (up to ∼10{sup 4} K). Such a measurement would offer a new window to explore the emergence and physical properties of these first light sources.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

HOW TO SEARCH FOR ISLANDS OF NEUTRAL HYDROGEN IN THE z ∼ 5.5 IGM

Observations of the Lyman-alpha (Lyα) forest may allow reionization to complete as late as z ∼ 5.5, provided the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) is sufficiently inhomogeneous at these redshifts. In this case, significantly neutral islands may remain among highly ionized gas with the ionized regions allowing some transmission through the Lyα forest. This possibility has the important virtue that it is eminently testable with existing Lyα forest data. In particular, we describe three observable signatures of significantly neutral gas in the z ∼ 5.5 IGM. We use mock quasar spectra produced from numerical simulations of reionization to develop these tests. First, we quantify how the abundance and length of absorbed regions in the forest increase with the volume-averaged neutral fraction in our reionization model. Second, we consider stacking the transmission profile around highly absorbed regions in the forest. If and only if there is significantly neutral gas in the IGM, absorption in the damping wing of the Lyα line will cause the transmission to recover slowly as one moves from absorbed to transmitted portions of the spectrum. Third, the deuterium Lyβ line should imprint a small but distinctive absorption feature slightly blueward of absorbed neutral regions in the Lyβ forest. We show that these tests can be carried out with existing Keck HIRES spectra at z ∼ 5.5, with the damping wing being observable for 〈x{sub H} {sub I}〉≳0.05 and the deuterium feature observable with additional high-resolution spectra for 〈x{sub H} {sub I}〉≳0.2.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Another look at distortions of the Cosmic Microwave Background spectrum

We review aspects of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) spectral distortions which do not appear to have been fully explored in the literature. In particular, implications of recent evidences of heating of the intergalactic medium (IGM) by feedback from active galactic nuclei are investigated. Taking also into account the IGM heating associated to structure formation, we argue that values of the y parameter of several × 10{sup −6}, i.e. a factor of a few below the COBE/FIRAS upper limit, are to be expected. The Compton scattering by the re-ionized plasma also re-processes primordial distortions, adding a y-type contribution. Hence no pure Bose-Einstein-like distortions are to be expected. An assessment of Galactic and extragalactic foregrounds, taking into account the latest results from the Planck satellite as well as the contributions from the strong CII and CO lines from star-forming galaxies, demonstrates that a foreground subtraction accurate enough to fully exploit the PIXIE sensitivity will be extremely challenging. Motivated by this fact we also discuss methods to detect spectral distortions not requiring absolute measurements and show that accurate determinations of the frequency spectrum of the CMB dipole amplitude may substantially improve over COBE/FIRAS limits on distortion parameters. Such improvements may be at reach of next generation CMB anisotropy experiments. The estimated amplitude of the Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) dipole might be detectable by careful analyses of Planck maps at the highest frequencies. Thus Planck might provide interesting constraints on the CIB intensity, currently known with a ≅ 30% uncertainty.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The incidence of low-metallicity Lyman-limit systems at z ∼ 3.5: Implications for the cold-flow hypothesis of baryonic accretion

Cold accretion is a primary growth mechanism of simulated galaxies, yet observational evidence of “cold flows” at redshifts where they should be most efficient (z = 2–4) is scarce. In simulations, cold streams manifest as Lyman-limit absorption systems (LLSs) with low heavy-element abundances similar to those of the diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM). Here we report on an abundance survey of 17 H i-selected LLSs at z = 3.2–4.4 which exhibits no metal absorption in Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra. Using medium-resolution spectra obtained at Magellan, we derive ionization-corrected metallicities (or limits) with a Markov-chain Monte Carlo sampling that accounts for the large uncertainty in N{sub H i} measurements typical of LLSs. The metal-poor LLS sample overlaps with the IGM in metallicity and can be described by a model where 71{sub −11}{sup +13}% are drawn from the IGM chemical abundance distribution. These represent roughly half of all LLSs at these redshifts, suggesting that 28%–40% of the general LLS population at z ∼ 3.7 could trace accreting gas. An ancillary sample of ten LLSs without any a priori metal-line selection is fit by a model having 48{sub −12}{sup +14}% of metallicities drawn from the IGM. We compare these results with regions of a moving-mesh simulation. The observed and simulated LLS metallicity distributions are in good agreement, after accounting for known uncertainties in both, with the fraction of simulated baryons in IGM-metallicity LLSs within a factor of two of the observed value. A statistically significant fraction of all LLSs have low metallicity and therefore represent candidates for accreting gas; large-volume simulations can establish what fraction of these candidates actually lie near galaxies and the observational prospects for detecting the presumed hosts in emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Thermal Proximity Effect: A New Probe of the He ii Reionization History and Quasar Lifetime

Despite decades of effort, the timing and duration of He ii reionization and the properties of the quasars believed to drive it are still not well constrained. We present a new method to study both via the thermal proximity effect—the heating of the intergalactic medium (IGM) around quasars when their radiation doubly ionizes helium. We post-process hydrodynamical simulations with 1D radiative transfer and study how the thermal proximity effect depends on the He ii fraction, x{sub HeII,0}, which prevailed in the IGM before the quasar turned on, and the quasar lifetime t{sub Q}. We find that the amplitude of the temperature boost in the quasar environment depends on x{sub HeII,0}, with a characteristic value of ΔT≃10{sup 4} K for x{sub HeII,0}=1.0, whereas the size of the thermal proximity zone is sensitive to t{sub Q}, with typical sizes of ≃100 cMpc for t{sub Q}=10{sup 8} yr. This temperature boost increases the thermal broadening of H i absorption lines near the quasar. We introduce a new Bayesian statistical method based on measuring the Lyα forest power spectrum as a function of distance from the quasar, and demonstrate that the thermal proximity effect should be easily detectable. For a mock data set of 50 quasars at z≃4, we predict that one can measure x{sub HeII,0} to an (absolute) precision ≈0.04 and t{sub Q} to a precision of ≈0.1 dex. By applying our formalism to existing high-resolution Lyα forest spectra, one should be able to reconstruct the He ii reionization history, providing a global census of hard photons in the high-z universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Polarimetric Approach for Constraining the Dynamic Foreground Spectrum for Cosmological Global 21 cm Measurements

The cosmological global (sky-averaged) 21 cm signal is a powerful tool to probe the evolution of the intergalactic medium in high-redshift universe (z⩽6). One of the biggest observational challenges is to remove the foreground spectrum which is at least four orders of magnitude brighter than the cosmological 21 cm emission. Conventional global 21 cm experiments rely on the spectral smoothness of the foreground synchrotron emission to separate it from the unique 21 cm spectral structures in a single total-power spectrum. However, frequency-dependent instrumental and observational effects are known to corrupt such smoothness and complicate the foreground subtraction. We introduce a polarimetric approach to measure the projection-induced polarization of the anisotropic foreground onto a stationary dual-polarized antenna. Due to Earth rotation, when pointing the antenna at a celestial pole, the revolving foreground will modulate this polarization with a unique frequency-dependent sinusoidal signature as a function of time. In our simulations, by harmonic decomposing this dynamic polarization, our technique produces two separate spectra in parallel from the same observation: (i) a total sky power consisting both the foreground and the 21 cm background and (ii) a model-independent measurement of the foreground spectrum at a harmonic consistent to twice the sky rotation rate. In the absence of any instrumental effects, by scaling and subtracting the latter from the former, we recover the injected global 21 cm model within the assumed uncertainty. We further discuss several limiting factors and potential remedies for future implementation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

In Search of Cool Flow Accretion onto Galaxies: Where Does the Disk Gas End?

The processes taking place in the outermost reaches of spiral disks (the “protodisk”) are intimately connected to the build-up of mass and angular momentum in galaxies. The thinness of spiral disks suggests that the activity is mostly quiescent, and presumably this region is fed by cool flows coming into the halo from the intergalactic medium. While there is abundant evidence for the presence of a circumgalactic medium around disk galaxies as traced by quasar absorption lines, it has been very difficult to connect this material to the outer gas disk. This has been a very difficult transition region to explore because baryon tracers are hard to observe. In particular, H i disks have been argued to truncate at a critical column density (N{sub H}≳10{sup 19.5} cm{sup −2} at 30 kpc for an L{sub ⋆} galaxy) where the gas is vulnerable to the external ionizing background. But new, deep observations of nearby L{sub ⋆} spirals (e.g., Milky Way, NGC 2997) suggest that H i disks may extend much farther than recognized to date, up to 60 kpc at N{sub H}≈10{sup 18} cm{sup −2}. Motivated by these observations, here we show that a clumpy outer disk of dense clouds or cloudlets is potentially detectable to much larger radii and lower H i column densities than previously discussed. This extended protodisk component is likely to explain some of the Mg ii forest seen in quasar spectra as judged from absorption-line column densities and kinematics. We fully anticipate that the armada of new radio facilities and planned H i surveys coming on line will detect this extreme outer disk (scree) material. We also propose a variant on the successful “Dragonfly” technique to go after the very weak Hα signals expected in the protodisk region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Constraints on primordial magnetic fields from the optical depth of the cosmic microwave background

Damping of magnetic fields via ambipolar diffusion and decay of magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) turbulence in the post decoupling era heats the intergalactic medium (IGM). Delayed recombination of hydrogen atoms in the IGM yields an optical depth to scattering of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The optical depth generated at z >> 10 does not affect the ''reionization bump'' of the CMB polarization power spectrum at low multipoles, but affects the temperature and polarization power spectra at high multipoles. Writing the present-day energy density of fields smoothed over the damping scale at the decoupling epoch as ρ{sub B,0}=B{sub 0}{sup 2}/2, we constrain B{sub 0} as a function of the spectral index, n{sub B}. Using the Planck 2013 likelihood code that uses the Planck temperature and lensing data together with the WMAP 9-year polarization data, we find the 95% upper bounds of B{sub 0}<0.63, 0.39, and 0.18 nG for n{sub B}=−2.9, −2.5, and −1.5, respectively. For these spectral indices, the optical depth is dominated by dissipation of the decaying MHD turbulence that occurs shortly after the decoupling epoch. Our limits are stronger than the previous limits ignoring the effects of the fields on ionization history. Inverse Compton scattering of CMB photons off electrons in the heated IGM distorts the thermal spectrum of CMB. Our limits on B{sub 0} imply that the y-type distortion from dissipation of fields in the post decoupling era should be smaller than 10{sup −9}, 4×10{sup −9}, and 10{sup −9}, respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Characteristics of He ii proximity profiles

The proximity profile in the spectra of z≈3 quasars, where fluxes extend blueward of the He ii Lyα wavelength 304 (1+z) Å, is one of the most important spectral features in the study of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Based on the Hubble Space Telescope spectra of 24 He ii quasars, we find that the majority of them display a proximity profile, corresponding to an ionization radius as large as 20 Mpc in the source's rest frame. In comparison with those in the H i spectra of the quasars at z ≈ 6, the He ii proximity effect is more prominent and is observed over a considerably longer period of reionization. The He ii proximity zone sizes decrease at higher redshifts, particularly at z>3.3. This trend is similar to that for H i, signaling an onset of He ii reionization at z≳4. For quasar SDSS1253+6817 (z = 3.48), the He ii absorption trough displays a gradual decline and serves as a good case for modeling the He ii reionization. To model such a broad profile requires a quasar radiation field whose energy distribution between 4 and 1 Rydberg is considerably harder than normally assumed. The UV continuum of this quasar is indeed exceptionally steep, and the He ii ionization level in the quasar vicinity is higher than the average level in the IGM. These results are evidence that a very hard EUV continuum from this quasar produces a large ionized zone around it. Distinct exceptions are the two brightest He ii quasars at z ≈ 2.8, for which no significant proximity profile is present, probably implying that they are very young.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Discovery of 16 New z ∼ 5.5 Quasars: Filling in the Redshift Gap of Quasar Color Selection

We present initial results from the first systematic survey of luminous z ∼ 5.5 quasars. Quasars at z ∼ 5.5, the post-reionization epoch, are crucial tools to explore the evolution of intergalactic medium, quasar evolution, and the early super-massive black hole growth. However, it has been very challenging to select quasars at redshifts 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 using conventional color selections, due to their similar optical colors to late-type stars, especially M dwarfs, resulting in a glaring redshift gap in quasar redshift distributions. We develop a new selection technique for z ∼ 5.5 quasars based on optical, near-IR, and mid-IR photometric data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), UKIRT InfraRed Deep Sky Surveys—Large Area Survey (ULAS), VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS), and Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer . From our pilot observations in the SDSS-ULAS/VHS area, we have discovered 15 new quasars at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 and 6 new lower redshift quasars, with SDSS z band magnitude brighter than 20.5. Including other two z ∼ 5.5 quasars already published in our previous work, we now construct a uniform quasar sample at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7, with 17 quasars in a ∼4800 square degree survey area. For further application in a larger survey area, we apply our selection pipeline to do a test selection by using the new wide field J-band photometric data from a preliminary version of the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey (UHS). We successfully discover the first UHS selected z ∼ 5.5 quasar.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

IGM CONSTRAINTS FROM THE SDSS-III/BOSS DR9 Lyα FOREST TRANSMISSION PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION

The Lyα forest transmission probability distribution function (PDF) is an established probe of the intergalactic medium (IGM) astrophysics, especially the temperature-density relationship of the IGM. We measure the transmission PDF from 3393 Baryon Oscillations Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) quasars from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 9, and compare with mock spectra that include careful modeling of the noise, continuum, and astrophysical uncertainties. The BOSS transmission PDFs, measured at (z) = [2.3, 2.6, 3.0], are compared with PDFs created from mock spectra drawn from a suite of hydrodynamical simulations that sample the IGM temperature-density relationship, γ, and temperature at mean density, T {sub 0}, where T(Δ) = T {sub 0}Δ{sup γ} {sup –} {sup 1}. We find that a significant population of partial Lyman-limit systems (LLSs) with a column-density distribution slope of β{sub pLLS} ∼ – 2 are required to explain the data at the low-transmission end of transmission PDF, while uncertainties in the mean Lyα forest transmission affect the high-transmission end. After modeling the LLSs and marginalizing over mean transmission uncertainties, we find that γ = 1.6 best describes the data over our entire redshift range, although constraints on T {sub 0} are affected by systematic uncertainties. Within our model framework, isothermal or inverted temperature-density relationships (γ ≤ 1) are disfavored at a significance of over 4σ, although this could be somewhat weakened by cosmological and astrophysical uncertainties that we did not model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mock data sets for the Eboss and DESI Lyman-α forest surveys

We present a publicly-available code to generate sets of mock Lyman-α (Lyα) forest data that have realistic large-scale correlations including those due to the Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO). The primary purpose of these mocks is to test the analysis procedures of the Extended Baryon Oscillation Survey (eBOSS) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopy Instrument (DESI) surveys. The transmitted flux fraction, F(λ), of background quasars due to Lyα absorption in the intergalactic medium (IGM) is simulated using the Fluctuating Gunn-Petterson Approximation (FGPA) applied to Gaussian random fields produced through the use of fast Fourier transforms (FFT). The output includes the IGM-Lyα transmitted flux fraction along quasar lines of sight and a catalog of high-column-density systems appropriately placed at high-density regions of the IGM. This output serves as input to additional code that superimposes the IGM tranmission on realistic quasar spectra, adds absorption by high-column-density systems and metals, and simulates instrumental transmission and noise. Redshift space distortions (RSD) of the flux correlations are implemented by including the large-scale velocity-gradient field in the FGPA resulting in a correlation function of F(λ) that can be accurately predicted. One hundred realizations have been produced over the 14,000 deg 2 DESI survey footprint with 100 quasars per deg 2 . The analysis of these realizations shows that the correlations of F(λ) follows the prediction within the accuracy of eBOSS survey. Here, the most time-consuming part of the mock production occurs before application of the FGPA, and the existing pre-FGPA forests can be used to easily produce new mock sets with modified redshift-dependent bias parameters or observational conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE COLUMN DENSITY DISTRIBUTION AND CONTINUUM OPACITY OF THE INTERGALACTIC AND CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM AT REDSHIFT (z) = 2.4

We present new high-precision measurements of the opacity of the intergalactic and circumgalactic medium (IGM; CGM) at (z) = 2.4. Using Voigt profile fits to the full Ly{alpha} and Ly{beta} forests in 15 high-resolution high-S/N spectra of hyperluminous QSOs, we make the first statistically robust measurement of the frequency of absorbers with H I column densities 14{approx}< log (N{sub H{sub I}}/cm{sup -2}){approx}<17.2. We also present the first measurements of the frequency distribution of H I absorbers in the volume surrounding high-z galaxies (the CGM, 300 pkpc), finding that the incidence of absorbers in the CGM is much higher than in the IGM. In agreement with Rudie et al., we find that there are fractionally more high-N{sub H{sub I}} absorbers than low-N{sub H{sub I}} absorbers in the CGM compared to the IGM, leading to a shallower power law fit to the CGM frequency distribution. We use these new measurements to calculate the total opacity of the IGM and CGM to hydrogen-ionizing photons, finding significantly higher opacity than most previous studies, especially from absorbers with log (N{sub H{sub I}}/cm{sup -2}) < 17.2. Reproducing the opacity measured in our data as well as the incidence of absorbers with log (N{sub H{sub I}}/cm{sup -2})>17.2 requires a broken power law parameterization of the frequency distribution with a break near N{sub H{sub I}} Almost-Equal-To 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2}. We compute new estimates of the mean free path ({lambda}{sub mfp}) to hydrogen-ionizing photons at z{sub em} = 2.4, finding {lambda}{sub mfp} = 147 {+-} 15 Mpc when considering only IGM opacity. If instead, we consider photons emanating from a high-z star-forming galaxy and account for the local excess opacity due to the surrounding CGM of the galaxy itself, the mean free path is reduced to {lambda}{sub mfp} = 121 {+-} 15 Mpc. These {lambda}{sub mfp} measurements are smaller than recent estimates and should inform future studies of the metagalactic UV background and of ionizing sources at z Almost-Equal-To 2-3.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Modeling of the high column density systems in the Lyman-Alpha forest

The Lyman-α forests observed in the spectra of high-redshift quasars can be used as a tracer of the cosmological matter density to study baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the Alcock-Paczynski effect. Extraction of cosmological information from these studies requires modeling of the forest correlations. While the models depend most importantly on the bias parameters of the intergalactic medium (IGM), they also depend on the numbers and characteristics of high-column-density systems (HCDs) ranging from Lyman-limit systems with column densities log N HI /1cm -2 > 17 to damped Lyman-α systems (DLAs) with log N HI /1cm -2 > 20.2. These HCDs introduce broad damped absorption characteristic of a Voigt profile. Consequently they imprint a component on the power spectrum whose modes in the radial direction are suppressed, leading to a scale-dependent bias. Using mock data sets of known HCD content, we test a model that describes this effect in terms of the distribution of column densities of HCDs, the Fourier transforms of their Voigt profiles and the bias of the halos containing the HCDs. Our results show that this physically well-motivated model describes the effects of HCDs with an accuracy comparable to that of the ad-hoc models used in published forest analyses. We also discuss the problems of applying the model to real data, where the HCD content and their bias is uncertain.

Lyman alpha forest↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era—A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 “Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach”, is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers.

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