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arXiv 1708.03024astro-ph.GAastro-ph.CO
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用HI 21-cm在介入吸收系统中追踪恒星形成历史的潜力

The potential of tracing the star formation history with HI 21-cm in intervening absorption systems

S. J. Curran

摘要:

与中性气体密度在0 < z < 5的红移范围内基本保持不变不同,恒星形成密度表现出强烈的红移依赖性,从现在开始增加,然后在z ~ 2.5的红移处达到峰值。因此,有一个鲜明的对比之间的恒星形成率和丰富的原材料可供燃料。然而,使用的HI 21厘米吸收的强度的总中性气体柱密度的比率来量化的气体的自旋温度,它最近被证明,其倒数可以跟踪恒星形成密度。这是可以预期的,因为气体云必须足够冷,才能在自身重力下坍缩。然而,这依赖于非常有限的数据,因此在这里,我们探索了将上述方法应用于无法获得单个柱密度的吸收器(主要是MgII吸收系统)的潜力。通过使用平均值作为在给定红移下气体柱密度的替代,我们再次发现1/T(随光子-发射体尺寸比简并)跟踪SF密度。如果得到更高红移数据的证实,这将为未来使用平方公里阵列在整个宇宙中调查冷气体提供一个强大的工具。

英文摘要:

Unlike the neutral gas density, which remains largely constant over redshifts of 0 < z < 5, the star formation density exhibits a strong redshift dependence, increasing from the present day before peaking at a redshift of z ~ 2.5. Thus, there is a stark contrast between the star formation rate and the abundance of raw material available to fuel it. However, using the ratio of the strength of the HI 21-cm absorption to the total neutral gas column density to quantify the spin temperature of the gas, it has recently been shown that its reciprocal may trace the star formation density. This would be expected on the grounds that the cloud of gas must be sufficiently cool to collapse under its own gravity. This, however, relies on very limited data and so here we explore the potential of applying the above method to absorbers for which individual column densities are not available (primarily MgII absorption systems). By using the mean value as a proxy to the column density of the gas at a given redshift, we do, again, find that 1/T (degenerate with the absorber-emitter size ratio) traces the SF density. If confirmed by higher redshift data, this could offer a powerful tool for future surveys for cool gas throughout the Universe with the Square Kilometre Array.

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