1. Evidence for Reionization at z ~ 6: Detection of a Gunn-Peterson Trough in a z=6.28 Quasar
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Becker, Robert H., Fan, Xiaohui, White, Richard L., Strauss, Michael A., Narayanan, Vijay K., Lupton, Robert H., Gunn, James E., Annis, James, Bahcall, Neta A., Brinkmann, J., Connolly, A. J., Csabai, Istvan, Czarapata, Paul C., Doi, Mamoru, Heckman, Timothy M., Hennessy, G. S., Ivezic, Zeljko, Knapp, G. R., Lamb, Don Q., McKay, Timothy A., Munn, Jeffrey A., Nash, Thomas, Nichol, Robert, Pier, Jeffrey R., Richards, Gordon T., Schneider, Donald P., Stoughton, Chris, Szalay, Alexander S., Thakar, Anirudda R., and York, D. G.
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Astrophysics - Abstract
We present moderate resolution Keck spectroscopy of quasars at z=5.82, 5.99 and 6.28, discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We find that the Ly Alpha absorption in the spectra of these quasars evolves strongly with redshift. To z~5.7, the Ly Alpha absorption evolves as expected from an extrapolation from lower redshifts. However, in the highest redshift object, SDSSp J103027.10+052455.0 (z=6.28), the average transmitted flux is 0.0038+-0.0026 times that of the continuum level over 8450 A < lambda < 8710 A (5.95
150, and is consistent with zero flux in the Ly Alpha forest region immediately blueward of the Ly Alpha emission line, compared with a drop by a factor of ~10 at z(abs)~5.3. A similar break is seen at Ly Beta; because of the decreased oscillator strength of this transition, this allows us to put a considerably stronger limit, tau(eff) > 20, on the optical depth to Ly Alpha absorption at z=6. This is a clear detection of a complete Gunn-Peterson trough, caused by neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium. Even a small neutral hydrogen fraction in the intergalactic medium would result in an undetectable flux in the Ly Alpha forest region. Therefore, the existence of the Gunn-Peterson trough by itself does not indicate that the quasar is observed prior to the reionization epoch. However, the fast evolution of the mean absorption in these high-redshift quasars suggests that the mean ionizing background along the line of sight to this quasar has declined significantly from z~5 to 6, and the universe is approaching the reionization epoch at z~6., Comment: Revised version (2001 Sep 4) accepted by the Astronomical Journal (minor changes) - Published
- 2001
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