Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Measuring The Halo Mass Of Z Similar To 3 Damped Ly Alpha Absorbers From The Absorber-Galaxy Cross-Correlation, N Bouche, Jp Gardner, N Katz, Dh Weinberg, R Dave, Jd Lowenthal
Measuring The Halo Mass Of Z Similar To 3 Damped Ly Alpha Absorbers From The Absorber-Galaxy Cross-Correlation, N Bouche, Jp Gardner, N Katz, Dh Weinberg, R Dave, Jd Lowenthal
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We test the reliability of a method to measure the mean halo mass of absorption-line systems such as damped Lyα absorbers (DLAs). The method is based on measuring the ratio of the cross-correlation between DLAs and galaxies to the autocorrelation of the galaxies themselves, which is (in linear theory) the ratio of their bias factor . We show that the ratio of the projected cross- and autocorrelation functions [wdg(rθ)/wgg(rθ)] is also the ratio of their bias factor, irrespective of the galaxy distribution, provided that one uses the same …
Ly Alpha Flux Power Spectrum And Its Covariance, H Zhan, R Dave, D Eisenstein, N Katz
Ly Alpha Flux Power Spectrum And Its Covariance, H Zhan, R Dave, D Eisenstein, N Katz
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We analyse the flux power spectrum and its covariance using simulated Lyα forests. We find that pseudo-hydro techniques are good approximations of hydrodynamical simulations at high redshift. However, the pseudo-hydro techniques fail at low redshift because they are insufficient for characterizing some components of the low-redshift intergalactic medium, notably the warm–hot intergalactic medium. Hence, to use the low-redshift Lyα flux power spectrum to constrain cosmology, one would need realistic hydrodynamical simulations. By comparing (one-dimensional) mass statistics with flux statistics, we show that the non-linear transform between density and flux quenches the fluctuations so that the flux power spectrum is much …
X-Ray Absorption By The Low-Redshift Intergalactic Medium: A Numerical Study Of The Lambda Cold Dark Matter Model, Xl Chen, Dh Weinberg, N Katz, R Dave
X-Ray Absorption By The Low-Redshift Intergalactic Medium: A Numerical Study Of The Lambda Cold Dark Matter Model, Xl Chen, Dh Weinberg, N Katz, R Dave
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
Using a hydrodynamic simulation of a cold dark matter universe with a cosmological constant, we investigate the "X-ray forest" absorption imprinted on the spectra of background quasars by the intervening intergalactic medium (IGM), at redshift z 0. In agreement with previous studies, we find that O VII and O VIII produce the strongest absorption features. The strong oxygen absorbers that might be detectable with Chandra or XMM-Newton arise in gas with T ~ 105.5-106.5 K and overdensities δ 100 that are characteristic of galaxy groups. Future X-ray missions could detect weaker oxygen absorption produced by gas with …
Lyman Break Galaxies And The Ly Alpha Forest, Ja Kollmeier, Dh Weinberg, R Dave, N Katz
Lyman Break Galaxies And The Ly Alpha Forest, Ja Kollmeier, Dh Weinberg, R Dave, N Katz
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We use hydrodynamic cosmological simulations to predict correlations between Lyα forest absorption and the galaxy distribution at redshift z 3. The probability distribution function (PDF) of Lyα flux decrements shifts systematically toward higher values in the vicinity of galaxies, reflecting the overdense environments in which these galaxies reside. The predicted signal remains strong in spectra smoothed over 50-200 km s-1, allowing tests with moderate-resolution quasar spectra. The strong bias of high-redshift galaxies toward high-density regions imprints a clear signature on the flux PDF, but the predictions are not sensitive to galaxy baryon mass or star formation rate, and …
Toward A Precise Measurement Of Matter Clustering: Ly Alpha Forest Data At Redshifts 2-4, Rac Croft, Dh Weinberg, M Bolte, S Burles, L Hernquist, N Katz, D Kirkman, D Tytler
Toward A Precise Measurement Of Matter Clustering: Ly Alpha Forest Data At Redshifts 2-4, Rac Croft, Dh Weinberg, M Bolte, S Burles, L Hernquist, N Katz, D Kirkman, D Tytler
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We measure the filling factor, correlation function, and power spectrum of transmitted flux in a large sample of Lyα forest spectra, comprised of 30 Keck HIRES spectra and 23 Keck LRIS spectra. We infer the linear matter power spectrum P(k) from the flux power spectrum PF(k), using an improved version of the method of Croft et al. that accounts for the influence of redshift-space distortions, nonlinearity, and thermal broadening on the shape of PF(k). The evolution of the shape and amplitude of P(k) over the redshift …
Comparing Simulations And Observations Of The Ly Alpha Forest. I. Methodology, Ce Petry, Cd Impey, N Katz, Dh Weinberg, Le Hernquist
Comparing Simulations And Observations Of The Ly Alpha Forest. I. Methodology, Ce Petry, Cd Impey, N Katz, Dh Weinberg, Le Hernquist
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We describe techniques for comparing spectra extracted from cosmological simulations and observational data, using the same methodology to link Lyα properties derived from the simulations with properties derived from observational data. The eventual goal is to measure the coherence or clustering properties of Lyα absorbers using observations of quasar pairs and groups. We quantify the systematic underestimate in opacity that is inherent in the continuum-fitting process of observed spectra over a range of resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). We present an automated process for detecting and selecting absorption features over the range of resolution and S/N of typical observational data …
Simulations Of Damped Ly Alpha And Lyman Limit Absorbers In Different Cosmologies: Implications For Structure Formation At High Redshift, Jp Gardner, N Katz, L Hernquist, Dh Weinberg
Simulations Of Damped Ly Alpha And Lyman Limit Absorbers In Different Cosmologies: Implications For Structure Formation At High Redshift, Jp Gardner, N Katz, L Hernquist, Dh Weinberg
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We use hydrodynamic cosmological simulations to study damped Lyα (DLA) and Lyman limit (LL) absorption at redshifts z = 2-4 in five variants of the cold dark matter scenario: COBE-normalized (CCDM), cluster-normalized (SCDM), and tilted (n = 0.8) Ωm = 1 models, as well as open (OCDM) and flat (LCDM) Ωm = 0.4 models. Our standard simulations resolve the formation of dense concentrations of neutral gas in halos with circular velocity vc ≥ vc,res 140 km s-1 for Ωm = 1 and 90 km s-1 for Ωm = 0.4, …
The Power Spectrum Of Mass Fluctuations Measured From The Ly Alpha Forest At Redshift Z=2.5, Rac Croft, Dh Weinberg, M Pettini, L Hernquist, N Katz
The Power Spectrum Of Mass Fluctuations Measured From The Ly Alpha Forest At Redshift Z=2.5, Rac Croft, Dh Weinberg, M Pettini, L Hernquist, N Katz
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We measure the linear power spectrum of mass-density fluctuations at redshift z = 2.5 from the Lyα forest absorption in a sample of 19 QSO spectra, using the method introduced by Croft et al. The P(k) measurement covers the range 2π/k ~ 450-2350 km s-1 (2-12 comoving h-1 Mpc for Ω = 1), limited on the upper end by uncertainty in fitting the unabsorbed QSO continuum and on the lower end by finite spectral resolution (0.8-2.3 Å FWHM) and by nonlinear dynamical effects. We examine a number of possible sources of systematic error and …
The Low-Redshift Ly Alpha Forest In Cold Dark Matter Cosmologies, R Dave, L Hernquist, N Katz, Dh Weinberg
The Low-Redshift Ly Alpha Forest In Cold Dark Matter Cosmologies, R Dave, L Hernquist, N Katz, Dh Weinberg
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We study the physical origin of the low-redshift Lyα forest in hydrodynamic simulations of four cosmological models, all variants of the cold dark matter scenario. Our most important conclusions are insensitive to the cosmological model, but they depend on our assumption that the UV background declines at low redshift in concert with the declining population of quasar sources. We find that the expansion of the universe drives rapid evolution of dN/dz (the number of absorbers per unit redshift above a specified equivalent width threshold) at z1.7, but that at lower redshift the fading of the UV background …
Constraining The Metallicity Of The Low-Density Ly Alpha Forest Using O Vi Absorption, R Dave, U Hellsten, L Hernquist, N Katz, Dh Weinberg
Constraining The Metallicity Of The Low-Density Ly Alpha Forest Using O Vi Absorption, R Dave, U Hellsten, L Hernquist, N Katz, Dh Weinberg
Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series
We present a systematic search for O VI (1032, 1037 Å) absorption in a Keck High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer spectrum of the z = 3.62 quasar Q1422+231, with the goal of constraining the metallicity and ionization state of the low-density intergalactic medium (IGM). Comparison of C IV absorption measurements to models of the Lyα forest based on cosmological simulations shows that absorbers with NH I 1014.5 cm-2 have a mean carbon abundance [C/H] -2.5, assuming a metagalactic photoionizing background with the spectral shape predicted by Haardt and Madau in 1996. In these models, lower column density absorption arises …