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arXiv 1008.2622astro-ph.CO
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星系际介质温度演化中扩展He II再电离的探测

Detection of Extended He II Reionization in the Temperature Evolution of the Intergalactic Medium

George D. Becker, James S. Bolton, Martin G. Haehnelt, Wallace L. W. Sargent

摘要:

我们提出了新的测量的星系际介质(IGM)的温度来自莱曼α森林超过2.0 < z < 4.8。森林中的61个高分辨率类星体光谱的小尺度结构量化使用一个新的统计,曲率,并转换为温度校准使用一套流体动力学模拟。在每个红移,我们专注于获得温度在一个最佳的过密度探测莱曼α森林,T(德尔塔),其中温度几乎是一个一对一的函数的曲率,无论斜率的温度密度关系。在这些测量中,2-sigma统计不确定性的中位数为8%,尽管由于IGM中未知的Jeans平滑量,可能存在可比的系统误差。我们使用我们的T(Delta)结果来推断平均密度T0时的温度。即使对于最陡的温度-密度关系,T0也必须从z ~ 4.4时的~8000 K增加到z ~ 2.8时的>~12000 K。这种增加与在没有He II再电离的情况下预期的T0单调下降不一致。因此,我们将观测到的温度升高解释为He II在z >~ 4.4时开始再电离的证据。T0的演化与He II在z ~ 3处再电离的结束是一致的,正如He II莱曼α森林的不透明度测量所表明的那样,尽管T0峰的红移在某种程度上取决于温度-密度关系的演化。这些新的温度测量结果表明,由于He II的再电离的热输入主导的IGM的热平衡在一个延长的时期内与Δ_z >~ 1。

英文摘要:

We present new measurements of the temperature of the intergalactic medium (IGM) derived from the Lyman-alpha forest over 2.0 < z < 4.8. The small-scale structure in the forest of 61 high-resolution QSO spectra is quantified using a new statistic, the curvature, and the conversion to temperature calibrated using a suite of hydrodynamic simulations. At each redshift we focus on obtaining the temperature at an optimal overdensity probed by the Lyman-alpha forest, T(Delta), where the temperature is nearly a one-to-one function of the curvature regardless of the slope of the temperature-density relation. The median 2-sigma statistical uncertainty in these measurements is 8 per cent, though there may be comparable systematic errors due to the unknown amount of Jeans smoothing in the IGM. We use our T(Delta) results to infer the temperature at the mean density, T0. Even for a maximally steep temperature-density relation, T0 must increase from ~8000 K at z ~ 4.4 to >~12000 K at z ~ 2.8. This increase is not consistent with the monotonic decline in T0 expected in the absence of He II reionization. We therefore interpret the observed rise in temperature as evidence of He II reionization beginning at z >~ 4.4. The evolution of T0 is consistent with an end to He II reionization at z ~ 3, as suggested by opacity measurements of the He II Lyman-alpha forest, although the redshift at which T0 peaks will depend somewhat on the evolution of the temperature-density relation. These new temperature measurements suggest that the heat input due to the reionization of He II dominates the thermal balance of the IGM over an extended period with Delta_z >~ 1.

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