Related papers: Mapping Low-Density Intergalactic Gas: a Third Hel…

He II Ly-alpha 304/H-alpha 1640 emission lines are mainly produced by recombination, and their canonical ratio of about 10 may be a sensitive reddening indicator. We obtain the high S/N optical spectra of two quasars and combine them with…

We study the link between galaxies and HI-selected absorption systems at z~3-4 in the MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) survey, an ESO large programme consisting of integral field pectroscopic observations of 28 quasar fields…

The reionization epoch of singly ionized helium (He II) is believed to start at redshifts z~3.5--4 and be nearly complete by z~2.7. We explore the post-reionization epoch with far-ultraviolet spectra of the bright, high-redshift quasar…

We present spectroscopic observations obtained with the FORS1 instrument on the ESO VLT under good seeing conditions of the radio-quiet z_em = 3.04 quasar Q1205-30 and its associated extended Lyman-alpha emission. The extended Lyman-alpha…

Previous observations of quasar host halos at z=2 have uncovered large quantities of cool gas that exceed what is found around inactive galaxies of both lower and higher masses. To better understand the source of this excess cool gas, we…

Ratios of different ions of the same element encode ionization information independently from relative abundances in quasar absorption line systems, crucial for understanding the multiphase nature and origin of absorbing gas, particularly…

Intergalactic Ly-alpha opacity suggests that H I was reionized at z ~ 6, while He II reionization was delayed to z ~ 3. Both epochs are in conflict with inferences from CMB optical depth (WMAP) which suggest early reionization at z = 10-20.…

We present the first results of a survey designed to understand the origin of the Lyman alpha-forest absorption systems at low redshift. Using the WYFFOS and HYDRA multi-fibre spectrographs on the WHT and WIYN telescopes, we have identified…

We report the detection of Mg II absorption in two Lyman alpha forest clouds along the line of sight to PKS 0454+039. These clouds, at redshifts z=0.6248 and z=0.9315, respectively, also have strong Fe II absorption. We present results on…

A new molecular hydrogen cloud is found in the sub-damped Ly-alpha absorber [log N(HI)=19.88+/-0.05] at the redshift z=1.15 toward the bright quasar HE0515-4414 (zem = 1.71). More than 30 absorption features in the Lyman band system of H2…

We present HST spectra for a sample of six QSOs with intermediate redshift (z_a < 1) damped Ly-alpha systems. These observations aim at measuring the HI column density and detect metal lines in order to investigate the metal enrichment of…

We have discovered a third quasar absorption system which is consistent with a low deuterium to hydrogen abundance ratio, D/H = 3.4 times 10^-5. The z ~ 2.8 partial Lyman limit system towards QSO 0130-4021 provides the strongest evidence to…

We present preliminary results on the low-redshift Lyman alpha forest as based on STIS spectra of 3C 273. A total of 121 intergalactic Lyman alpha-absorbing systems were detected, of which 60 are above the 3.5 sigma completness limit, log…

High resolution optical (HIRES/Keck) and UV (STIS/HST) spectra, covering a large range of chemical transitions, are analyzed for three single-cloud weak MgII absorption systems along the line of sight toward the quasar PG 1634+706. Weak…

We searched quasar spectra from the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) for the rare occurrences where a strong damped Lyman-alpha absorber (DLA) blocks the Broad Line Region emission from the quasar and acts as a…

We present the target selection, observations, and data reduction and analysis process for a program aimed at discovering numerous, weak (equivalent width < 100 mA) Lya absorption lines in the local Universe (0.003 < z < 0.069). The purpose…

Projected quasar galaxy pairs provide powerful means to study the circumgalactic medium (CGM) that maintains the relics of galactic feedback and the accreted gas from the intergalactic medium. Here, we study the nature of a Lyman Limit…

Based on the empirical formulas governing the distribution of Ly-a forest absorption, we use a Monte-Carlo technique to calculate the average HeII optical depth produced by these forest lines. A substantial contribution to HeII absorption…

We present STIS 7km/s resolution data of the Ly-a forest toward PKS0405-123 (z=0.574). We make two samples. The strong sample (60 systems) has column density logNHI>13.3 over 0.002<z<0.423, and the weak sample (44) has logNHI>13.1 at…

We present a preliminary study of the metallicity of low-redshift Lyman alpha absorbers from the HST/STIS spectrum of 3C273. Using a pixel-based shift-and-coadd technique, we compare observations to carefully-constructed mock quasar spectra…