Related papers: Ly-alpha Clouds Associated with Pop III Objects in…
A model of Lyman limit QSO absorption systems is investigated where they are produced in gaseous galactic halos with a two-phase structure: a hot phase at the halo virial temperature in approximate pressure equilibrium, and a cold,…
We investigate the metal contents of Lyman-alpha clouds at 2.2<z<3.6 with 10^13.5<N(HI)<10^14 cm-2 using high resolution, high S/N spectra of 9 quasars obtained with the 10m Keck I telescope. Using an composite spectrum analysis technique,…
In this paper we present Monte-Carlo simulations of Lyman alpha absorption systems which originate in galactic haloes, galaxy discs and dark matter (DM) satellites around big central haloes. It is found that for strong Lyman alpha…
We propose that a large fraction of the QSO Lyman limit absorption systems (LLS) observed at high redshift (z > 3) originate from gas trapped in small objects, such as minihalos, that form prior to reionization. In the absence of a strong…
We study the distribution of low-redshift Ly$\alpha$ clouds in a CDM model using numerical simulations including photoionization and cooling of the baryonic component. The ionizing background is found to be efficient enough to keep most of…
We investigate how damped Lyman-$\alpha$ absorbers (DLAs) at z ~ 2-3, detected in large optical spectroscopic surveys of quasars, trace the population of star-forming galaxies. Building on previous results, we construct a model based on…
We examine the relationship between galaxies and the intergalactic medium at z < 1 using a group of three closely spaced background QSOs with z_em ~1 observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. Using a new grouping algorithm, we identify…
The origin and evolution of structure in the Universe is one of the major questions occupying astronomers today. An understanding of the Lyalpha absorbers seen in QSO spectra is an important part of this program since such absorbers can be…
A simple consistency argument for hypothesis of the galactic halo origin of the Ly-alpha forest absorption lines is advanced, based on the recent determination of column-density vs. impact parameter relation for the low-redshift gaseous…
We report the serendipitous detection of a 0.2 L$^*$, Lyman-$\alpha$ emitting galaxy at redshift 2.5 at an impact parameter of 50 kpc from a bright background QSO sightline. A high-resolution spectrum of the QSO reveals a partial…
I discuss recent HST observations and interpretation of low-z Ly-alpha clouds toward nearby Seyferts and QSOs, including their frequency, space density, estimated mass, association with galaxies, and contribution to Omega_b. Our HST/GHRS…
Lyman limit and damped Lyman-alpha absorption systems probe the distribution of collapsed, cold gas at high redshift. Numerical simulations that incorporate gravity and gas dynamics can predict the abundance of such absorbers in…
Recent observations have shown that (some) metal line absorption systems in QSO spectra arise from gas in galactic halos with radii much larger than the optical radii of galaxies. We show that the observed galaxy-absorber connections are…
In hierarchical cosmogonies at redshift three the matter content of a typical present-day galaxy is dispersed over several individual clumps embedded in sheet-like structures, often aligned along filaments. We have used hydrodynamical…
We use hydrodynamic cosmological simulations to study damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) and Lyman limit (LL) absorption at redshifts z=2-4 in five variants of the cold dark matter scenario. Our standard simulations resolve the formation of dense…
Motivated by recent observation of Lanzetta et al. that most luminous galaxies at low redshifts produce $\lya$ absorption at impact parameter $l\lsim 160 \kpch$, we propose that these absorbers are clouds confined by the pressure of ambient…
Quasars are the visible signatures of super-massive black holes in the centres of distant galaxies. It has been suggested that quasars are formed during ``major merger events'' when two massive galaxies collide and merge, leading to the…
Current data suggest that the central mass densities $\rho_0$ and phase-space densities $Q\equiv\rho_0/\sigma_V^3$ of cosmological halos in the present universe are correlated with their velocity dispersions $\sigma_V$ over a very wide…
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…
The low-redshift Ly-alpha forest of absorption lines provides a probe of large-scale baryonic structures in the intergalactic medium, some of which may be remnants of physical conditions set up during the epoch of galaxy formation. We…