Related papers: Saha Ionization Formula and the Voids
The cosmic ultraviolet background (UVB) heats the intergalactic medium (IGM), as a result the gas in dark matter halos below a certain mass is too hot to cool within a Hubble time. The UVB effectively suppresses the formation of dwarf…
Recent data indicates that the cosmic UV emissivity decreased with decreasing redshift z near the end of reionization. Lacking evidence for very massive early stars, this could signal a decline with time in the mass-averaged escape fraction…
We revisit the question of the ionization of the diffuse medium in late type galaxies, by studying NGC 891, the prototype of edge-on spiral galaxies. The most important challenge for the models considered so far was the observed increase of…
Motivated by the recent direct detection of cosmological gas infall, we develop an analytical model for calculating the mean density profile around an initial overdensity that later forms a dark matter halo. We account for the problem of…
The evidence for a positive vacuum energy in our universe suggests that we might be living in a false vacuum destined to ultimately decay to a true vacuum free of dark energy. At present the simplest example of such a universe is one that…
The current Lambda CDM cosmological model predicts that galaxy evolution proceeds more slowly in lower density environments, suggesting that voids are a prime location to search for relatively pristine galaxies that are representative of…
In this work, we use two gas mass fraction samples of galaxy clusters obtained from their X-ray surface brightness observations jointly with recent $H(z)$ data in a flat $\Lambda$CDM framework to impose limits on cosmic opacity. It is…
New observational constraints on the cosmic matter density $\Omega_m$ and an effectively redshift-independent equation of state parameter $w_x$ of the dark energy are obtained while simultaneously testing the strong and null energy…
The ultra-high energy cosmic rays observed at the Earth are most likely accelerated in extra-galactic sources. For the typical luminosities invoked for such sources, the electric current associated to the flux of cosmic rays that leave them…
We use high-resolution simulations of cosmological volumes to model galaxy formation at high-redshift, with the goal of studying the photon budget for reionization. We demonstrate that galaxy formation models that include a strong,…
The Durham GALFORM semi-analytical galaxy formation model has been shown to reproduce the observed rest-frame 1500\AA\ luminosity function of galaxies well over the whole redshift range z=5-10. We show that in this model, this galaxy…
The history of the transition from a neutral intergalactic medium to one that is almost fully ionized can reveal the character of cosmological ionizing sources. In this talk I will discuss the implications for rival reionization scenarios…
We explore the so-called softness diagram -- whose main function is to provide the hardness of the ionizing radiation in star-forming regions -- in order to check whether hot and old low-mass evolved stars (HOLMES) are significant…
The opacity limit is an important concept in star formation: isothermal collapse cannot proceed without limit, because eventually cooling radiation is trapped and the temperature rises quasi-adiabatically, setting a minimum Jeans mass…
The dividing line between galaxies that are quenched by reionization ("relics") and galaxies that survive reionization (i.e. continue forming stars) is commonly discussed in terms of a halo mass threshold. We probe this threshold in a…
We discuss the viability of shocks as the principal source of ionization for the Narrow Line Region of Seyfert galaxies. We present the preliminary results of [OIII]5007A and radio 3.6 cm imaging surveys of Seyferts, discuss the effects of…
According to the latest evidence, the Universe is entering an era of exponential expansion, where gravitationally bound structures will get disconnected from each other, forming isolated `island universes'. In this scenario, we present a…
A field with particularly exciting results over the past few years is the study of the interaction of cosmic rays with interstellar matter. For star formation to take place, gas and dust need to be sufficiently cold for gravity to overcome…
New Cosmic Microwave Background, Galaxy Clustering and Supernovae type Ia data are increasingly constraining the dark energy component of our Universe. While the cosmological constant scenario remains consistent with these new tight…
Hydrogen in the Universe was (re)ionised between redshifts $z \approx 10$ and $z \approx 6$. The nature of the sources of the ionising radiation is hotly debated, with faint galaxies below current detection limits regarded as prime…