Related papers: X-ray absorption towards high-redshift sources: pr…
Recent observations of high redshift quasar spectra reveal long gaps with little flux. A small or no detectable flux does not by itself imply the intergalactic medium (IGM) is neutral. Inferring the average neutral fraction from the…
Results of analysis of RXTE observations of strongly absorbed X-ray sources IGR J16318-4848 and IGR J16358-4726 are presented. Careful subtraction of Galactic ridge emission contribution to the observed spectra of RXTE/PCA allowed us to…
The European gamma-ray observatory INTEGRAL has found a group of hard X-ray sources which are highly absorbed, i.e., with column densities higher than about 10^{23}/cm^2. Here I give an overview of this class of INTEGRAL sources. The X-ray,…
We discuss expectations for the absorption of high-energy gamma-rays by gamma-gamma pair production with intergalactic radiation fields (IRFs) at very high redshifts (z~5-20), and the prospects thereof for probing the cosmic reionization…
We study the XMM-Newton spectra of a sample of 32 soft X-ray selected QSOs. Our goal is to check, using the spectra of moderate redshift (z~1.5), faint (f (0.2-8 keV) > 5x10^-15 cgs) broad-line QSOs, previous claims for either significant…
Using a sample of 166 projected quasar pairs we investigate the influence of active galactic nuclei on the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of the quasar host galaxies probed using strong Mg II absorption (i.e., $W_{2796}\ge 1\dot{A}$) at impact…
We publicly release a new sample of $34$ medium resolution quasar spectra at $5.77\leq z_{\rm em}\leq6.54$ observed with the Echellette Spectrograph and Imager (ESI) on the Keck telescope. This quasar sample represents an ideal laboratory…
Absorption or emission against the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) may be observed in the redshifted 21cm line if the spin temperature of the neutral intergalactic medium prior to reionization differs from the CMB temperature.…
We use cosmological simulations to study the X-ray ionisation and heating of the intergalactic medium by an early population of accreting black holes. By considering observational constraints from the X-ray background, we find an upper…
The intracluster medium (ICM) in the far outskirts (r $>$ 2-3 R$_{200}$) of galaxy clusters interfaces with the intergalactic medium (IGM) and is theorized to comprise diffuse, multiphase gas. This medium may hold vital clues to clusters'…
High ionisation lines in the soft X-ray band are generally associated to either interstellar hot gas along the line of sight or to photoionised gas intrinsic to the source. In the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1820-30, the nature of these lines…
We present the first comprehensive analysis of the argon K-edge absorption region (3.1-4.2 \AA) using high-resolution HETGS {\it Chandra} spectra of 33 low-mas X-ray binaries. Utilizing R-matrix theory, we computed new K photoabsorption…
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients and can be used as a cosmological probe. However, the dispersion measure (DM) contributed by intergalactic medium (IGM) is hard to be distinguished from other components. In…
The sky-averaged (global) 21-cm signal is a powerful probe of the intergalactic medium (IGM) prior to the completion of reionization. However, it has so far been unclear that even in the best case scenario, in which the signal is accurately…
(abridged) We firstly present the results of X-ray spectroscopic observations with XMM-Newton for four high-redshift radio-loud quasars at z>4. These observations more than double the number of z>4 radio-loud quasars having X-ray…
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…
High resolution X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a powerful diagnostic tool for probing chemical and physical properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) at various phases. We present detections of K transition absorption lines from the low…
Intergalactic space is filled with a pervasive medium of ionized gas, the Intergalactic Medium (IGM). A residual neutral fraction is detected in the spectra of Quasi-Stellar Objects at both low and high redshifts, revealing a highly…
The intergalactic medium at redshifts 2--6 can be studied observationally through the absorption features it produces in the spectra of background quasars. Most of the UV-absorption lines arise in mildly overdense regions, which can be…
We present a spectroscopic study of 41 hard X-ray sources detected serendipitously with high significance (> 5 sigma in the 2-10 keV band) in seven EPIC performance/verification phase observations. The large collecting area of EPIC allows…