Evidence for structure in the H I column density distribution of QSO absorbers

Details Evidence for structure in the H I column density distribution of QSO absorbers Evidence for structure in the H I column density distribution of QSO absorbers

May 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993mnras.262..499p&link_type=abstract

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (ISSN 0035-8711), vol. 262, no. 2, p. 499-505.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

177

Density Distribution, H I Regions, Lyman Alpha Radiation, Quasars, Ultraviolet Absorption, Ultraviolet Astronomy, Absorption Spectra, Distribution Functions, Intergalactic Media

Scientific paper

The H I column density distribution function of QSO absorption line systems is investigated using recent data with high spectral resolution, and extensive surveys of the Lyman limit systems and damped Ly-alpha systems. The hypothesis that the differential distribution function is fitted by a single power law is rejected at the 99 percent confidence level. A double power law, with a break at N(H I) = 10 exp 16/sq cm, also provides a poor fit over the range in which the sample is complete. While there are no discontinuities in the observed distribution, there is a clear flattening at N(H I) of about 10 exp 16/sq cm, compared to lower column densities. These observed features can be understood using models of photoionized clouds which are confined by an external pressure with density profiles governed by gravity. In particular, the flattening at N(H I) of about 10 exp 16/sq cm can be explained in terms of a transition between metal-poor and metal-rich systems.

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