Computer Science
Scientific paper
Apr 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003assl..281...57s&link_type=abstract
The IGM/Galaxy Connection: The Distribution of Baryons at z=0, ASSL Conference Proceedings Vol. 281. Edited by Jessica L. Rosenb
Computer Science
3
Scientific paper
Our recent survey of low column density (NHI <= 1014.5 cm-2) HI Ly-alpha absorbers made with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has allowed us a first look at gas in the local intergalactic medium (IGM). Because the cosmic evolution of the number density (dN/dz) of lower column density absorbers found by our survey is much slower than that of the high column density absorbers, the baryon content of the Ly-alpha forest is even more dominated by low column density absorbers at z ~ 0 than at high-z. Using two different methods for modelling these clouds, we find that the photoionized local Ly-alpha forest can account for 32 +/- 6% of all local baryons. This number can increase significantly if these absorbers are hotter than expected or if there are a significant number of collisionally ionized, `warm-hot' clouds. While this number is consistent with the amount of baryons found in the photoionized forest by numerical simulations, it is difficult to determine which Ly-alpha absorptions correspond to which population of absorbers in the simulations, so that exact comparisons are not yet possible.
Penton Steven Victor
Shull Michael J.
Stocke John T.
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