Long troughs in the Lyman-α forest below redshift 6 due to islands of neutral hydrogen
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Publication Date
2020-01Journal Title
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
ISSN
0035-8711
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Volume
491
Issue
2
Pages
1736-1745
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Keating, L., Weinberger, L., Kulkarni, G., Haehnelt, M., Chardin, J., & Aubert, D. (2020). Long troughs in the Lyman-α forest below redshift 6 due to islands of neutral hydrogen. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 491 (2), 1736-1745. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz3083
Abstract
A long (110 cMpc/$h$) and deep absorption trough in the Ly$\alpha$ forest has
been observed extending down to redshift 5.5 in the spectrum of ULAS
J0148+0600. Although no Ly$\alpha$ transmission is detected, Ly$\beta$ spikes
are present which has led to claims that the gas along this trough must be
ionized. Using high resolution cosmological radiative transfer simulations in
large volumes, we show that in a scenario where reionization ends late ($z \sim
5.2$), our simulations can reproduce troughs as long as observed. In this
model, we find that the troughs are caused by islands of neutral hydrogen.
Small ionized holes within the neutral islands allow for the transmission of
Ly$\beta$. We have also modelled the Ly$\alpha$ emitter population around the
simulated troughs, and show that there is a deficit of Ly$\alpha$ emitters
close to the trough as is observed.
Sponsorship
European Research Council (320596)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P020259/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/M007065/1)
STFC (ST/M007073/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/R00689X/1)
STFC (ST/T001550/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/N000927/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (1791046)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/S000623/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/J005673/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/K00333X/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/L000636/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/P000673/1)
STFC (ST/T00049X/1)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz3083
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/299892
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