Related papers: Partial Ly$\alpha$ thermalization in an analytic n…
Consider the linear Boltzmann equation of radiative transfer in a half-space, with constant scattering coefficient $\sigma$. Assume that, on the boundary of the half-space, the radiation intensity satisfies the Lambert (i.e. diffuse)…
Physical properties of Damped Lyman-alpha absorbers and their evolution are closely related to galaxy formation and evolution theories, and have important cosmological implications. H I 21 cm absorption study is one useful way of measuring…
We report results from a programme aimed at investigating the temperature of neutral gas in high-redshift damped Lyman-$\alpha$ absorbers (DLAs). This involved (1) HI 21cm absorption studies of a large DLA sample, (2) VLBI studies to…
We assess what information HST observations of stellar Ly-alpha lines can provide on the heliosheath, the region of the heliosphere between the termination shock and heliopause. To search for evidence of heliosheath absorption, we conduct a…
The inhomogeneous cosmological reionization process leaves tangible imprints in the intergalactic medium down to z=4-5. The Lyman-alpha forest flux power spectrum provides a potentially powerful probe of the epoch of reionization. With the…
Collisional excitation of the 21cm HI hyperfine transition is not strong enough to thermalize it in warm neutral (``intercloud'') interstellar gas, which we show by simultaneously solving the equations of ionization and collisional…
Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) spectra provide insights into the small-scale structure and kinematics of neutral hydrogen (HI) within galaxies as well as the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). The former defines the intrinsic…
We discuss the evolution of the ratio in number of recombinations due to 2s two photon escape and due to the escape of Lyman-$\alpha$ photons from the resonance during the epoch of cosmological recombination, within the width of the last…
Magnetic fields in the early universe can significantly alter the thermal evolution and the ionization history during the dark ages. This is reflected in the 21 cm line of atomic hydrogen, which is coupled to the gas temperature through…
We have conducted a long slit search for low surface brightness Lyman-alpha emitters at redshift 2.67 < z < 3.75. A 92 hour long exposure with VLT/FORS2 down to a 1-sigma surface brightness detection limit of 8x10^-20 erg/cm2/s/sqarcsec…
Ellerman bombs (EBs) are brightenings in the H$\alpha$ line wings that are believed to be caused by magnetic reconnection in the lower atmosphere. To study the response and evolution of the chromospheric line profiles, we perform radiative…
Following the completion of cosmic reionization, the mean-free-path of ionizing photons was set by a population of Ly-limit absorbers. As the mean-free-path steadily grew, the intensity of the ionizing background also grew, thus lowering…
Aims: Out of a novel observing technique, we publish for the first time, SoHO-SUMER observations of the true spectral line profile of hydrogen Lyman-alpha in quiescent prominences. With SoHO not being in Earth orbit, our high-quality data…
Deep, 17.8 hours, narrow band imaging obtained at the ESO 3.5m New Technology Telescope has revealed extended (galaxy sized) Ly-alpha emission from a high redshift Lyman limit absorber. The absorber is a z(abs) approx. z(em) Lyman limit…
We study the evolution with redshift of the number density of Ly$\alpha$ clouds in a CDM model using numerical simulations including photo-ionization and cooling of the baryonic component. The photo-ionizing flux is consistently taken as…
As Lyman-alpha photons are scattered by neutral hydrogen, a change with redshift in the Lyman-alpha equivalent width distribution of distant galaxies offers a promising probe of the degree of ionization in the intergalactic medium and hence…
The observed number density of Lyman-alpha sources implies a minimum volume of the inter-galactic medium that must be ionized, in order to allow the Lyman-alpha photons to escape attenuation. We estimate this volume by assigning to each…
The study of Ly-alpha emission in the high-redshift universe is a useful probe of the epoch of reionization, as the Ly-alpha line should be attenuated by the intergalactic medium (IGM) at low to moderate neutral hydrogen fractions. Here we…
We solve the recombination equation by taking into account the induced recombinations and a physical cut off in the hydrogen spectrum. The effective recombination coefficient is parametrized as a function of temperature and free electron…
The atomic recombination process leads to a softening of the matter equation of state as reflected by a reduced generalized adiabatic index, with accompanying heat release. We study the effects of this recombination softening and reheating…