%0 Generic %1 rorai2017measurement %A Rorai, Alberto %A Hennawi, Joseph F. %A Oñorbe, Jose %A White, Martin %A Prochaska, J. Xavier %A Kulkarni, Girish %A Walther, Michael %A Lukić, Zarija %A Lee, Khee-Gan %D 2017 %K igm pairs scale small structure %T Measurement of the small-scale structure of the intergalactic medium using close quasar pairs %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1704.08366 %X The distribution of diffuse gas in the intergalactic medium (IGM) imprints a series of hydrogen absorption lines on the spectra of distant background quasars known as the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest. Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations predict that IGM density fluctuations are suppressed below a characteristic scale where thermal pressure balances gravity. We measured this pressure-smoothing scale by quantifying absorption correlations in a sample of close quasar pairs. We compared our measurements to hydrodynamical simulations, where pressure smoothing is determined by the integrated thermal history of the IGM. Our findings are consistent with standard models for photoionization heating by the ultraviolet radiation backgrounds that reionized the universe.

@misc{rorai2017measurement, abstract = {The distribution of diffuse gas in the intergalactic medium (IGM) imprints a series of hydrogen absorption lines on the spectra of distant background quasars known as the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest. Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations predict that IGM density fluctuations are suppressed below a characteristic scale where thermal pressure balances gravity. We measured this pressure-smoothing scale by quantifying absorption correlations in a sample of close quasar pairs. We compared our measurements to hydrodynamical simulations, where pressure smoothing is determined by the integrated thermal history of the IGM. Our findings are consistent with standard models for photoionization heating by the ultraviolet radiation backgrounds that reionized the universe.}, added-at = {2017-04-28T10:33:37.000+0200}, author = {Rorai, Alberto and Hennawi, Joseph F. and Oñorbe, Jose and White, Martin and Prochaska, J. Xavier and Kulkarni, Girish and Walther, Michael and Lukić, Zarija and Lee, Khee-Gan}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/22e08917ad568ad569971c9df030dbe97/miki}, description = {[1704.08366] Measurement of the small-scale structure of the intergalactic medium using close quasar pairs}, interhash = {5eb603d931983eb0f7606c729f4ef73e}, intrahash = {2e08917ad568ad569971c9df030dbe97}, keywords = {igm pairs scale small structure}, note = {cite arxiv:1704.08366Comment: Accepted for publication on Science}, timestamp = {2017-04-28T10:33:37.000+0200}, title = {Measurement of the small-scale structure of the intergalactic medium using close quasar pairs}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1704.08366}, year = 2017 }