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arXiv 1007.0704astro-ph.COastro-ph.HE
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宇宙在z~6处的状态

The State of the Universe at z~6

Renyue Cen

摘要:

在标准冷暗物质模型中的恒星再电离背景下,我们分析了z~6处的观测结果,并得出了关于恒星形成和z~6处星系际介质(IGM)状态的三个重要结论。(1)初始恒星质量函数(IMF)在产生电离光子方面比标准Salpeter IMF更有效,在z~6处需要10-20倍。这可以通过以下两种方式来实现:(A)富含金属的IMF,其质量下限>= 30 Msun;或(B)2-4%的恒星质量是z~6的第III星族大质量无金属恒星。虽然没有令人信服的物理原因或观测证据支持(A),但(B)可以通过继续存在一些未受污染的无金属气体来实现恒星形成。(2)根据<f_HI>SDSS对类星体吸收光谱的观测结果推断,在z=5.8时IGM的体积加权中性部分为_V~ 10^-4,这提供了足够的信息来确定再电离基本上是完全的,在z=5.8时至多有~0.1-1%的IGM是未电离的。(3)除非IMF发生极端的演化,否则IGM的中性部分预计将从HII气泡渗流点快速上升到高红移,IGM的平均中性部分预计在z=6.5时达到6-12%,在z=7.7时达到13-27%,在z=8.8时达到22-38%。

英文摘要:

In the context stellar reionization in the standard cold dark matter model, we analyze observations at z~6 and are able to draw three significant conclusions with respect to star formation and the state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at z~6. (1) An initial stellar mass function (IMF) more efficient, by a factor of 10-20, in producing ionizing photons than the standard Salpeter IMF is required at z~6. This may be achieved by having either (A) a metal-enriched IMF with and a lower mass cutoff of >= 30Msun or (B) 2-4% of stellar mass being Population III massive metal-free stars at z~6. While there is no compelling physical reason or observational evidence to support (A), (B) could be fulfilled plausibly by continued existence of some pockets of uncontaminated, metal-free gas for star formation. (2) The volume-weighted neutral fraction of the IGM of <f_HI>_V~ 10^-4 at z=5.8 inferred from the SDSS observations of QSO absorption spectra provides enough information to ascertain that reionization is basically complete with at most ~0.1-1% of IGM that is un-ionized at z=5.8. (3) Barring some extreme evolution of the IMF, the neutral fraction of the IGM is expected to rise quickly toward high redshift from the point of HII bubble percolation, with the mean neutral fraction of the IGM expected to reach 6-12% at z=6.5, 13-27% at z=7.7 and 22-38% at z=8.8.

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