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arXiv 2205.04569astro-ph.COastro-ph.GA
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$z<6$上Ly $β$森林中的长暗隙:来自XQR-30光谱的超晚期再电离的证据

Long Dark Gaps in the Ly$β$ Forest at $z<6$: Evidence of Ultra Late Reionization from XQR-30 Spectra

Yongda Zhu, George D. Becker, Sarah E. I. Bosman, Laura C. Keating, Valentina D'Odorico, Rebecca L. Davies, Holly M. Christenson, Eduardo Bañados, Fuyan Bian, M… 展开作者

Yongda Zhu, George D. Becker, Sarah E. I. Bosman, Laura C. Keating, Valentina D'Odorico, Rebecca L. Davies, Holly M. Christenson, Eduardo Bañados, Fuyan Bian, Manuela Bischetti, Huanqing Chen, Frederick B. Davies, Anna-Christina Eilers, Xiaohui Fan, Prakash Gaikwad, Bradley Greig, Martin G. Haehnelt, Girish Kulkarni, Samuel Lai, Andrea Pallottini, Yuxiang Qin, Emma Ryan-Weber, Fabian Walter, Feige Wang, Jinyi Yang

摘要:

本文利用Lyman-$β$(Ly $β$)森林中的暗隙对星系际介质(IGM)再电离附近进行了新的研究。与常用的Ly $α$线相比,Ly $β$具有更低的光学深度,可提供对任何剩余中性气体更敏感的探针。我们确定黑暗的差距在Ly $β$森林使用光谱的42个类星体在$z_{\rm em}>5.5$,包括新的数据从XQR-30 VLT大型计划。在这些类星体光谱中,大约$40\%$在$z\simeq5.8$上表现出比$10h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$更长的暗能隙。通过比较模拟预测的结果,我们发现,数据是广泛一致的模型,其中在Ly $α$森林中的波动是完全由电离紫外线背景(UVB)的波动和模型,包括大中性氢补丁在$z<6$由于后期结束再电离。特别令人感兴趣的是在$z_{\rm}=5.85$ QSO PSO J 025 $-$ 11的Ly $β$森林中持续到$z\simeq 5.5$的非常长($L=28h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$)和暗($τ_{\rm eff} \gtrsim 6$)的间隙。这个差距可能支持后期再电离模型与体积加权平均中性氢部分的$ \langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle \gtrsim 5\%$由$z=5.6$。最后,我们推断的约束$\langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle$超过$5.5 \lesssim z \lesssim 6.0$的基础上观察到的Ly $β$暗间隙长度分布和间隙长度和中性分数之间的保守关系从模拟。我们分别在$z\simeq 5.55$、5.75和5.95处发现$\langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle \leq 0.05$、0.17和0.29。这些限制是一致的模型,再电离结束显着晚于$z = 6$。

英文摘要:

We present a new investigation of the intergalactic medium (IGM) near reionization using dark gaps in the Lyman-$β$ (Ly$β$) forest. With its lower optical depth, Ly$β$ offers a potentially more sensitive probe to any remaining neutral gas compared to commonly used Ly$α$ line. We identify dark gaps in the Ly$β$ forest using spectra of 42 QSOs at $z_{\rm em}>5.5$, including new data from the XQR-30 VLT Large Programme. Approximately $40\%$ of these QSO spectra exhibit dark gaps longer than $10h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$ at $z\simeq5.8$. By comparing the results to predictions from simulations, we find that the data are broadly consistent both with models where fluctuations in the Ly$α$ forest are caused solely by ionizing ultraviolet background (UVB) fluctuations and with models that include large neutral hydrogen patches at $z<6$ due to a late end to reionization. Of particular interest is a very long ($L=28h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$) and dark ($τ_{\rm eff} \gtrsim 6$) gap persisting down to $z\simeq 5.5$ in the Ly$β$ forest of the $z_{\rm}=5.85$ QSO PSO J025$-$11. This gap may support late reionization models with a volume-weighted average neutral hydrogen fraction of $ \langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle \gtrsim 5\%$ by $z=5.6$. Finally, we infer constraints on $\langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle$ over $5.5 \lesssim z \lesssim 6.0$ based on the observed Ly$β$ dark gap length distribution and a conservative relationship between gap length and neutral fraction derived from simulations. We find $\langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle \leq 0.05$, 0.17, and 0.29 at $z\simeq 5.55$, 5.75, and 5.95, respectively. These constraints are consistent with models where reionization ends significantly later than $z = 6$.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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