Related papers: Can the soft X-ray opacity towards high redshift s…

We have identified 469 MgII doublet systems having W_r >= 0.02 {\AA} in 252 Keck/HIRES and UVES/VLT quasar spectra over the redshift range 0.1 < z < 2.6. Using the largest sample yet of 188 weak MgII systems (0.02 {\AA} <= W_r < 0.3 {\AA}),…

Chandra observations of a complete, flux-limited sample of 38 high-redshift (1<z<2), low-frequency selected (and so unbiased in orientation) 3CRR radio sources are reported. The sample includes 21 quasars (= broad line radio galaxies) and…

Unless properly corrected for, the existence of intergalactic dust will introduce a redshift dependent magnitude offset to standard candle sources. This would lead to overestimated luminosity distances compared to a dust-free universe and…

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows have been proposed as an excellent probe to study the evolution of cosmic star formation, the reionization of the intergalactic medium, and the metal enrichment history of the universe, since the…

We present submillimetre (SCUBA) photometry of a sample of eight high-redshift (2.5 < z < 3.5) radio quasars from two redshift surveys: the TEXOX-1000, or TOOT, survey; and the 7C Redshift Survey (7CRS). Unlike the powerful high-redshift…

We present a catalog of 792 DR5 SDSS quasars with optical spectra that have been observed serendipitously in the X-rays with the \emph{XMM-Newton}. These quasars cover a redshift range of z = 0.11 - 5.41 and a magnitude range of i =…

Analysis of observations with XMM-Newton have made a significant contribution to the study of Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) X-ray afterglows. The effective area, bandpass and resolution of the EPIC instrument permit the study of a wide variety of…

The Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) is one of the three instruments on board EXIST, a multi-wavelength observatory in charge of performing a global survey of the sky in hard X-rays searching for Super-massive Black Holes (Grindlay & Natalucci,…

We present the results of a z>2.9 survey for HI 21-cm and molecular absorption in the hosts of radio quasars using the GMRT and the Tidbinbilla 70-m telescope. Previously published searches, which are overwhelmingly at redshifts of z<1,…

For the low density filamentary and sheet-like structures in the warm ($\sim 10^4$ to $\sim 10^6$ K) IGM predicted by numerical simulations the resonant line scattering of X-ray background (XRB) photons by He and H-like ions of heavy…

The X-ray Telescope (XRT), on board the {\it Swift} satellite, provides: automated source detection and position with few arcsecond accuracy within few seconds from target acquisition; CCD spectroscopy and imaging capability (0.2-10 keV),…

We study the properties of the diffuse X-ray background by using the results of a cosmological hydrodynamical simulation of the concordance LambdaCDM model. The simulation follows gravitational and gas dynamics and includes a treatment of…

We investigate the X-ray properties of the Parkes sample of flat-spectrum radio sources using data from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey and archival pointed PSPC observations. In total, 163 of the 323 sources are detected. For the remaining 160…

Using the near-infrared (NIR) observations of the afterglows of the high redshift ($5 \la z \la 25$) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) which will be detected by the {\it Swift} satellite, we discuss a way to study the cosmic reionization history. In…

We present results of a high-resolution soft X-ray (0.2-2 keV) spectroscopic study of a sample of 69 nearby obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) observed with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on board XMM-Newton. This is the…

We examine the recent report by Prochter et al. (2006) that gamma-ray burst (GRB) sight lines have a much higher incidence of strong MgII absorption than quasar sight lines. We propose that the discrepancy is due to the different beam sizes…

We have undertaken a survey for HI 21-cm absorption within the host galaxies of z ~ 1.2 - 1.5 radio sources, in the search of the cool neutral gas currently "missing" at z > 1. This deficit is believed to be due to the optical selection of…

There is considerable discrepancy between the amount of X-ray absorption and that inferred from optical (rest frame UV) as measured along gamma-ray burst (GRB) sight lines, with the former being typically an order of magnitude higher than…

This paper presents the analysis of a statistically complete sample of 28 serendipitous X-ray sources selected in 82 pointed XMM-Newton fields down to a count-rate of 0.002 counts s^-1(4.5-7.5 keV energy band). This is the first sample…

The incidence of strong MgII systems in gamma-ray burst (GRB) spectra is a few times higher than in quasar (QSO) spectra. We investigate several possible explanations for this effect, including: dust obscuration bias, clustering of the…