Related papers: Can UVB variations reconcile simulated quasar abso…

Using radiative transfer calculations and cosmological simulations of structure formation, we study constraints that can be placed on the nature of the cosmic ultraviolet (UV) background in the redshift interval 2.5< z <5. Our approach…

We present two models for the cosmological UV background light, and calculate the opacity of GeV gamma--rays out to redshift 9. The contributors to the background include 2 possible quasar emissivities, and output from star--forming…

We studied the spectra of six $z \sim 2.2$ quasars obtained with the X-shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope. The redshift of these sources and X-shooter's spectral coverage allow us to cover the rest spectral range $\sim1200 -…

We present high S/N UV spectra for eight quasars at z $\sim$ 3 obtained with VLT/FORS. The spectra enable us to analyze in detail the strong and weak emission features in the rest-frame range 1300-2000 A of each source (Ciii]$\lambda$1909,…

We present the detection of a rare case of dramatic strengthening in the UV absorption profiles in the spectrum of the quasar J115122.14+020426.3 between observations ~2.86 years apart in the quasar rest-frame. A 2001 spectrum from the…

We present a survey for low-ionization metal absorption line systems towards 17 QSOs at redshifts z_em=5.8-6.4. Nine of our objects were observed at high resolution with either Keck/HIRES or Magellan/MIKE, and the remainder at moderate…

We present a reanalysis of the HeII Lyman alpha absorption towards the quasars HS1700+6416 and HE2347-4342 using new high S/N, optical observations. An alternative analysis method is applied, which fits the high quality, optical HI data…

We present the Voigt profile analysis of 132 intervening CIV+CIII components associated with optically-thin HI absorbers at 2.1 < z < 3.4 in the 19 high-quality UVES/VLT and HIRES/Keck QSO spectra. For log N(CIV) = [11.7, 14.1], N(CIII) is…

We present the analysis of five O VI absorbers identified across a redshift path of z $\sim (0.6 - 1.3)$ towards the background quasar PG $1522+101$ with information on five consecutive ionization stages of oxygen from O II to O VI. The…

An extremely careful separation of the weak metal-line systems relating to the Lyman forest absorbers into individual ``single-phase ionization'' components with accurate parameters has yielded a large sample in the wide redshift range 1.9…

We have examined radial velocities and fluxes of ultraviolet emission lines at different epochs, deduced from archival IUE and GRHS/HST spectra. The line fluxes give electron densities and were in addition used to calculate emission…

Quasar redshifts require the best possible precision and accuracy for a number of applications, such as setting the velocity scale for outflows as well as measuring small-scale quasar-quasar clustering. The most reliable redshift standard…

Low-ionization metal absorption lines provide a primary probe of cool gas in and around galaxies. We confront observations of metal-line absorption in quasar spectra with predictions from the IllustrisTNG cosmological simulation in order to…

We investigate the existence of a metal-rich OVI population in 10 high spectral resolution quasar spectra and define observational criteria for this class of absorbers. The low temperatures of nearly half of all OVI absorbers (redshifts 2.0…

Absorption due to HeII Ly-alpha has been detected at low resolution in the spectra of four quasars between redshifts z = 2.74-3.29. We assess these observations, giving particular attention to the radiative transfer of the ionizing…

We have studied the abundance of oxygen in the IGM by analyzing OVI, CIV, SiIV, and HI pixel optical depths derived from a set of high-quality VLT and Keck spectra of 17 QSOs at 2.1 < z < 3.6. Comparing OVI and CIV optical depth ratios to…

In this work, we investigate the abundance and distribution of metals in the intergalactic medium (IGM) at $\langle z \rangle \simeq 2.8$ through the analysis of an ultra-high signal-to-noise ratio UVES spectrum of the quasar HE0940-1050.…

The total amount of OVI present in the interstellar medium (ISM) obtained via absorption measurements in UV and X-ray spectra is currently in disagreement, with the latter being significantly larger (by a factor of 10 or more) than the…

High-resolution UV spectroscopy of low-z QSOs with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer has indicated that O VI absorption-line systems provide a valuable probe of the low-z intergalactic…

We present an analysis combining the simultaneous measurement of intergalactic absorption by hydrogen (H I), helium (He II) and oxygen (O VI) in UV and optical quasar spectra. The combination of the H I and He II Lyman-alpha forests through…