Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-08-09
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc.366:1378-1390,2006
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
14 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Minor changes to submitted version, most notably an extra section (5.2
Scientific paper
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.09927.x
The low density hydrogen and helium in the IGM probed by QSO absorption lines is sensitive to the amplitude and spectral shape of the metagalactic UV background. We use realistic HI and HeII Ly-alpha forest spectra, constructed from state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of a Lambda-CDM Universe, to confirm the reliability of using line profile fitting techniques to infer the ratio of the metagalactic HI and HeII ionization rates. We further show that the large spatial variations and the anti-correlation with HI absorber density observed in the ratio of the measured HeII to HI column densities can be explained in a model where the HI ionization rate is dominated by the combined UV emission from young star forming galaxies and QSOs and the HeII ionization rate is dominated by emission from QSOs only. In such a model the large fluctuations in the column density ratio are due to the small number of QSOs expected to contribute at any given point to the HeII ionization rate. A significant contribution to UV emission at the HeII photoelectric edge from hot gas in galaxies and galaxy groups would decrease the expected fluctuations in the column density ratio. Consequently, this model appears difficult to reconcile with the large increase in HeII opacity fluctuations towards higher redshift. Our results further strengthen previous suggestions that observed HeII Ly-alpha forest spectra at z~2-3.5 probe the tail end of the reionization of HeII by QSOs.
Bolton James S.
Carswell Robert F.
Haehnelt Martin G.
Viel Matteo
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