The Intergalactic Lyα~Opacity at 2 ≤ z ≤ 4.2: Implications for the Ionizing Background, Cosmic Star Formation, and Quasar Activity

Details The Intergalactic Lyα~Opacity at 2 ≤ z ≤ 4.2: Implications for the Ionizing Background, Cosmic Star Formation, and Quasar Activity The Intergalactic Lyα~Opacity at 2 ≤ z ≤ 4.2: Implications for the Ionizing Background, Cosmic Star Formation, and Quasar Activity

Oct 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008aspc..399..186f&link_type=abstract

Panoramic Views of Galaxy Formation and Evolution ASP Conference Series, Vol. 399, proceedings of the conference held 11-16 Dece

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

1

Scientific paper

We investigate the implications of our measurement of the Lyman-α forest opacity at redshifts 2≤ z≤4.2 from a sample of 86 high-resolution quasar spectra for the evolution of the cosmic ultraviolet luminosity density and its sources. The derived hydrogen photoionization rate Γ≈(0.5±0.1)×10^{-12} s^{-1} is remarkably flat over this redshift range. Because the quasar luminosity function is strongly peaked near z˜2, the lack of redshift evolution indicates that star-forming galaxies likely dominate the photoionization rate at z≥3, and possibly at all redshifts probed. A star formation history peaking at redshift z=5-6, as in the theoretical model of Hernquist & Springel, appears favored over the current state-of-the-art observational fit by Hopkins & Beacom, which peaks at z=2-3. The increasing dominance of stellar emission toward high redshifts indicate that galaxies likely reionized the universe.

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