Related papers: Forecasting constraints on the high-z IGM thermal …
The large cross-section of the Lyman alpha (Lya) line makes it a sensitive probe of the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Here we present the most complete study to date of the IGM Lya opacity, and its application to the…
We introduce to astrophysics the threshold probability functions S_2, C_2, and D_2 first derived by \citet{torq+88}, which effectively samples the flux probability distribution (PDF) of the Lya forest at different spatial scales. These…
A model is presented in which supernova-driven winds from early galaxies reionize the intergalactic medium by z=5. This scenario can explain the observed absence of a Gunn-Peterson trough in the spectra of high-redshift quasars providing…
We calibrate here cosmological radiative transfer simulation with ATON/RAMSES with a range of measurements of the Lyman alpha opacity from QSO absorption spectra. We find the Lyman alpha opacity to be very sensitive to the exact timing of…
We present measurements of the intergalactic medium (IGM) temperature within ~5 proper Mpc of seven luminous quasars at z~6. The constraints are obtained from the Doppler widths of Lyman-alpha absorption lines in the quasar near-zones and…
We re-analyse high redshift and high resolution Lyman-$\alpha$ forest spectra considered in (Viel et al 2013), seeking to constrain the properties of warm dark matter particles. Compared to this previous work, we consider a wider range of…
We study the properties of self-shielding intergalactic absorption systems and their implications for the ionizing background. We find that cosmological simulations post-processed with detailed radiative transfer calculations generally are…
We investigate the dependence of QSO Lyman-alpha absorption features on the temperature of the absorbing gas and on the amplitude of the underlying dark matter fluctuations. We use high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations in cold dark…
Recently, NIRSpec PRISM/CLEAR observations by JWST have begun providing rest-frame UV continuum measurements of galaxies at $z\gtrsim7$, revealing signatures of Ly$\alpha$ damping-wing (DW) absorption by the intergalactic medium (IGM). We…
We present here 21 cm predictions from high dynamic range simulations for a range of reionization histories that have been tested against available Lyman-alpha and CMB data. We assess the observability of the predicted spatial 21 cm…
We investigate Lyman-alpha (Ly$\alpha$) transmission spikes at $5.2 < z < 6.8$ using synthetic quasar spectra from the ``Cosmic Reionization On Computers" simulations. We focus on understanding the relationship between these spikes and the…
The temperature of the intergalactic medium (IGM) is set by the competition between photoheating and adiabatic cooling, which are usually assumed to define a tight equation of state in which the temperature increases monotonically with…
Observations of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) have the potential to answer long-standing questions of astrophysical interest regarding the nature of the first luminous sources and their effects on the intergalactic medium (IGM). We…
Using a new, increased dataset of 7 QSOs from VLT/UVES observations combined with one QSO from the literature, the minimum Doppler parameters as a function of neutral hydrogen column density N(HI), b_c(N), of the Lyman-alpha forest has been…
The intense radiation emitted by luminous quasars dramatically alters the ionization state of their surrounding IGM. This so-called proximity effect extends out to tens of Mpc, and manifests as large coherent regions of enhanced…
In preparation for the IGM tomography study by Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) survey and other large future telescopes such as TMT/ELT/GMT, we present the results of our pilot study on Ly$\alpha$ forest and IGM tomography statistics…
We examine a large set of synthetic quasar spectra to realistically assess the potential of using the relative sizes of highly ionized near-zones in the Lya and Lyb forest as a probe of the neutral hydrogen content of the intergalactic…
Interpreting Lyman-$\alpha$ forest properties during the epoch of reionization requires assumptions about the spectral energy distribution (SED) of ionizing sources. These are often simplified to blackbody or power-law spectra, potentially…
We derive the transverse flux correlation function in the Lyman-alpha forest at z~2.1 from VLT-FORS observations of a total of 32 pairs of quasars. The shape and correlation length of the transverse correlation function are in good…
The \lya forest at high redshifts is a powerful probe of reionization. Modeling and observing this imprint comes with significant technical challenges: inhomogeneous reionization must be taken into account while simultaneously being able to…