Related papers: X-Ray Absorption by the Hot Intergalactic Medium
The problem of missing baryons in the local universe remains an open question. One propose alternative is that at low redshift missing baryons are in the form of the Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM). In order to test this idea, we…
We review our attempts to discover lost baryons at low redshift with ``X-ray forest'' of absorption lines from the warm-hot intergalactic medium. We discuss the best evidence to date along the Mrk 421 sightline. We then discuss the missing…
The circumgalactic medium (CGM) around galaxies is believed to record various forms of galaxy feedback and contain a significant portion of the "missing baryons" of individual dark matter halos. However, clear observational evidence for the…
In this white paper, we summarize current observations of the baryon census at low redshift (Shull, Smith, & Danforth 2012). Measurements of Lya, O-VI, and broad Lya absorbers, together with more careful corrections for metallicity and…
We briefly review the use of UV absorption lines in the spectra of low-redshift QSOs for the study of the physical conditions, metallicity, and baryonic content of the low-z IGM, with emphasis on the missing baryons problem. Current results…
At low redshifts, a census of the baryons in all known reservoirs falls a factor of two to four below the total baryon density predicted from Big Bang nucleosynthesis arguments and observed light element ratios. Recent cosmological…
Recent Cosmological measurements indicate that baryons comprise about four percent of the total mass-energy density of the Universe, which is in accord with the predictions arising from studies of the production of the lightest elements. It…
Numerical simulations of the intergalactic medium have shown that at the present epoch a significant fraction (40-50%) of the baryonic component should be found in the (T~10^6K) Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) - with several recent…
The Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) arises from shock-heated gas collapsing in large-scale filaments and probably harbours a substantial fraction of the baryons in the local Universe. Absorption-line measurements in the ultraviolet…
Known as the "Missing Baryon Problem", about one-third of baryons in the local universe remain unaccounted for. The missing baryons are thought to reside in the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) of the cosmic web filaments, which are…
For low-redshift cosmology and galaxy formation rates, it is important to account for all the baryons synthesized in the Big Bang. Although galaxies and clusters contain 10% of the baryons, many more reside in the photoionized Lyman-alpha…
Most of the baryons in the local universe are ``missing'' in that they are not in galaxies or in the previously detected gaseous phases. These missing baryons are predicted to be in a moderately hot phase, 10^5-10^7 K, largely in the form…
Hydrodynamic simulations of growth of cosmic structure suggest that 30-50% of the total baryons at z=0 may be in a warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) with temperatures ~10^5-10^7K. The O VI \lambda \lambda 1032, 1038 absorption line…
Using a hydrodynamic simulation of a LCDM universe, we investigate the "X-ray forest" absorption imprinted on the spectra of background quasars by the intervening intergalactic medium (IGM). In agreement with previous studies, we find that…
The number of detected baryons in the low-redshift Universe (z < 1) is far small er than the corresponding number of baryons observed at higher redshift. According to hydrodynamical simulations for the formation of structure in the…
Stars and gas in galaxies, hot intracluster medium, and intergalactic photo-ionized gas make up at most half of the baryons that are expected to be present in the universe. The majority of baryons are still missing and are expected to be…
Recent Chandra and XMM observations of distant quasars have shown strong local (z~0) X-ray absorption lines from highly ionized gas, primarily He-like oxygen. The nature of these X-ray absorbers, i.e., whether they are part of the hot gas…
Standard big bang nucleosynthesis predicts the average baryon density of the Universe to be a few percent of the critical density. Only about one tenth of the predicted baryons have been seen. A plausible respository for the missing baryons…
I present an overview of some of the recent advances in our understanding of the distribution and evolution of the ordinary, baryonic matter in the universe. Two observations that strongly suggest that most of the baryons seen at high…
Context. Hydrodynamical cosmological simulations based on the $\Lambda$-Cold Dark Matter ($\Lambda$CDM) model predict that $\sim$40% of the baryons in the local Universe are missing. These missing baryons are predicted to lie in low-density…