arXiv subjects

Jill Bechtold

Publications and source records attributed to Jill Bechtold.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv1998

Star Formation in High Redshift Galaxies

Observations of the high redshift Universe, interpreted in the context of a new generation of computer simulated model Universes, are providing new insights into the processes by which galaxies and quasars form and evolve, as well as the relationship between the formation of virialized, star-forming systems and the evolution of the intergalactic medium. We describe our recent measurements of the star-formation rates, stellar populations, and structure of galaxies and protogalactic fragments at z~2.5, including narrow-band imaging in the near-IR, IR spectroscopy, and deep imaging from the ground and from space, using HST and ISO.

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arXiv1997

Distribution of the Lyman-alpha Forest at z = 0.0-1.7

We present the analysis of a sample of the Ly-$α$ forest spectra of 152 quasars taken with the HST FOS. The Ly-$α$ lines show little evolution at $0<z<1.7$. We see a difference between the evolution indices for weak and strong lines.

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arXiv1997

Spectroscopy of PKS 0528-260: New Limits on CO Absorption and Emission

We have obtained a moderate resolution spectrum of the quasar PKS 0528-250 with the Red Channel Spectrograph on the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) in order to study a damped Lyman alpha absorption line system at z = 2.8115. We obtain a new upper limit for the CO column density for the z = 2.8108 velocity component in the z = 2.8115 damped Lyman alpha system. The ionization of different species in this component rules out a quasar spectral energy distribution (SED) as the ionization field,and implies an ultraviolet radiation field intensity a few times that of the Milky Way value. The estimated total number density is n(H) about 20 cm^{-3}. The physical size for the z = 2.8108 component implied by these models is about 40 parsecs. The ionization of different species also suggests a structure with a hot intercloud medium associated with a H I cloud in this component, that is, most low ionized ions are from the cold medium where photoionization and photodissociation dominates. The highly ionized species may be from the intercloud medium where collisional ionization dominates. We also present newly identified Ni II absorption lines in the z = 2.1408 and z = 2.8115 damped Ly$α$ systems. The derived depletion of nickel by dust confirms previous results that the dust-to-gas ratio in these two damped Lyman alpha systems is about 10% of the Milky Way ratio. Millimeter wavelength observations obtained at the NRAO 12 meter telescope provide new upper limits on CO (3-2) emission in the z = 2.8115 damped Lyman alpha system.

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arXiv1997

Molecular Hydrogen Absorption in the z= 1.97 Damped Lyman alpha Absorption system toward QSO 0013-004

We present a new ultra-violet spectrum of the QSO 0013-004 with 0.9 Åresolution obtained with the MMT Blue spectrograph. The \upsilon = 0 - 0, 1 - 0, 2 - 0 and 3 - 0 Lyman bands of H_2 associated with the z = 1.9731 damped Ly alpah absorption line system have been detected. The H_2 column density is N(H_2) = 6.9 (\pm 1.6)\times 10^{19} cm^{-2}, and the Doppler parameter b = 15\pm 2 km/s. The populations of different rotational levels are measured and used to derive the excitation temperatures. The estimated kinetic temperature T_K\sim 70 K, and the total particle number density n(H) \sim 300 cm^{-3}. The UV photoabsorption rate $β_0 \sim 6.7\times 10^{-9}$ s^{-1}, about a factor of few times greater than that in a typical diffuse Milky Way interstellar cloud. The total hydrogen column density is $N(H) = 6.4(\pm 0.5)\times 10^{20} cm^{-2}$. The fractional H_2 abundance f = 2N(H_2)/(2N(H_2) + N(H I)) \sim 0.22 \pm 0.05 is the highest among all observed damped Ly\al absorbers. The high fractional H_2 abundance is consistent with the inferred presence of dust and strong C I absorption in this absorber.

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arXiv1996

A New Measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Temperature at z = 1.97

We present detections of absorption from the ground state and excited states of C I in the z = 1.9731 damped Ly\al\ system of the QSO 0013$-$004. The excitation temperature between the J = 0 and J = 1 fine-structure levels of C I is 11.6 $\pm$ 1.0 K. We estimate other contributions to the excitation of the C I fine-structure levels, and use the population ratio of the excited state to the ground state to derive an estimate for the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) temperature of T = 7.9 $\pm$ 1.0 K at 0.61 mm and z = 1.9731, which is consistent with the predicted value of T = 8.105 $\pm$ 0.030 K from the standard cosmology.

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arXiv1995

The Size and Nature of Lyman alpha Forest Clouds Probed by QSO Pairs and Groups

We describe a robust Bayesian statistical method for determining Lyman alpha forest cloud sizes in spherical and in thin disk geometries, using absorption in adjacent sightlines toward closely separated QSO pairs and groups, apply this method to the available data, and discuss implications of our results for models of Ly alpha clouds. Under the assumption of a population of uniform- size and unclustered clouds, the data from Q1343+2640A/B give a 99% confidence lower and upper bounds 61 0.4 A threshold on all linelists, we find a trend of larger inferred cloud radius with larger proper separation of QSO pairs, significant at the 3.4 sigma level. This indicates that the idealization of unclustered, uniform-sized clouds does not accurately describe the Ly alpha cloud population.

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arXiv1994

Spectroscopy of the Double Quasars Q1343+264 Ab: II. the Relationship between Galaxies Ans QSO C~IV Absorption Lines -

We present spectra of QSOs 1343+266 A B, covering Ly-beta to C~IV emission at 2Å~resolution, and find further evidence that this system is not gravitationally lensed. We see, however, a large number of Ly-alpha and some C~IV absorption features common to both spectra. The frequency of C~IV lines in common indicates that these absorbers have a radius close to the sightline separation, $39~h^{-1}$kpc ($q_o=0.5$), implying a spatial number density of these absorbers the same as current day $L>0.3L_*$ galaxies. Furthermore, the velocity mismatch for C~IV systems indicates absorber masses in the range $10^{11}~M_{\odot} < M < 10^{12}~M_{\odot}$. These results confirm that typical galaxies cause QSO C~IV-line absorption. A complete line-list of metal-lines and the Ly-alpha forest is presented

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arXiv1994

Spectroscopy of the Double Quasars Q1343+266AB: I. a New Determination of the Size of Lyman-Alpha Forest Absorbers

We have obtained spectroscopy of Q 1343+266 AB, a pair of quasars at redshift z = 2.03 with a projected separation of 9.5 arcseconds. This system is well-suited for probing the Ly-alpha forest, since the two component spectra show several Ly-alpha lines in common and several others not. Using Bayesian statistics, under the idealization of uniform-radius spherical absorbers, we find that the Ly-alpha cloud radius at $z \approx 1.8$ lies in the range $40\hkpc < R < 280 \hkpc$ with $98\%$ confidence in a $(Ω_o, Λ_o) = (1, 0)$ model universe, where $h =(H_o / 100 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1})$. The median value of R is 90 h^-1 kpc. \ These numbers scale up by a factor 1.44 for $(Ω_o, Λ_o) =(0.1, 0)$; and by a factor 1.85 for (0.1, 0.9). Pressure-confined and freely-expanding Ly-alpha cloud models in which the absorbers formed in a significantly more compressed state at $z \gg 2$ are contradicted by these new data, as are models involving stably-confined gas concentrations in photoionization equilibrium within minihalos of cold dark matter. The comoving density of Ly-alpha forest objects at $z\sim 2$ is $\sim 0.3 h (R/100 kpc)^{-2} Mpc^{-3}$ in a (1,0) model universe. This suggests a possible identification of Ly-alpha clouds with the unvirialized, collapsing progenitors of the faint, blue galaxies at $z\sim 1$.

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