TY - JOUR
T1 - The VLT LBG redshift survey - VI. Mapping HI in the proximity of z ~ 3 LBGs with X-Shooter
AU - Bielby, R. M.
AU - Shanks, T.
AU - Crighton, N. H.M.
AU - Bornancini, C. G.
AU - Infante, L.
AU - Lambas, D. G.
AU - Minniti, D.
AU - Morris, S. L.
AU - Tummuangpak, P.
N1 - Funding Information:
RMB, TS and SLM are funded by the STFC research grant ST/L00075X/1. NHMC thanks the Australian Research Council for Discovery Project grant DP130100568, which in part supported this work. DM is supported by the BASAL CATA grant PFB-06 and the Millennium Institute for Astrophysics MAS grant IC120009. LI
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Authors.
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - We present an analysis of the spatial distribution and dynamics of neutral hydrogen gas around galaxies using new X-Shooter observations of z ~ 2.5-4 quasars. Adding the X-Shooter data to our existing data set of high-resolution quasar spectroscopy, we use a total sample of 29 quasars alongside ~1700 Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) in the redshift range 2 ≲ z ≲ 3.5. We measure the Lyα forest auto-correlation function, finding a clustering length of s0 = 0.081 ± 0.006 h-1 Mpc, and the cross-correlation function with LBGs, finding a crossclustering length of s0 = 0.27 ± 0.14 h-1 Mpc and power-law slope γ = 1.1 ± 0.2. Our results highlight the weakly clustered nature of neutral hydrogren systems in the Lyα forest. Building on this, we make a first analysis of the dependence of the clustering on absorber strength, finding a clear preference for stronger Lyα forest absorption features to be more strongly clustered around the galaxy population, suggesting that they trace on average higher mass haloes. Using the projected and 2-D cross-correlation functions, we constrain the dynamics of Lyα forest clouds around z ~ 3 galaxies. We find a significant detection of large-scale infall of neutral hydrogen, with a constraint on the Lyα forest infall parameter of βF = 1.02 ± 0.22.
AB - We present an analysis of the spatial distribution and dynamics of neutral hydrogen gas around galaxies using new X-Shooter observations of z ~ 2.5-4 quasars. Adding the X-Shooter data to our existing data set of high-resolution quasar spectroscopy, we use a total sample of 29 quasars alongside ~1700 Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) in the redshift range 2 ≲ z ≲ 3.5. We measure the Lyα forest auto-correlation function, finding a clustering length of s0 = 0.081 ± 0.006 h-1 Mpc, and the cross-correlation function with LBGs, finding a crossclustering length of s0 = 0.27 ± 0.14 h-1 Mpc and power-law slope γ = 1.1 ± 0.2. Our results highlight the weakly clustered nature of neutral hydrogren systems in the Lyα forest. Building on this, we make a first analysis of the dependence of the clustering on absorber strength, finding a clear preference for stronger Lyα forest absorption features to be more strongly clustered around the galaxy population, suggesting that they trace on average higher mass haloes. Using the projected and 2-D cross-correlation functions, we constrain the dynamics of Lyα forest clouds around z ~ 3 galaxies. We find a significant detection of large-scale infall of neutral hydrogen, with a constraint on the Lyα forest infall parameter of βF = 1.02 ± 0.22.
KW - Cosmology: observations
KW - Galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
KW - Intergalactic medium
KW - Large-scale structure of Universe
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048858229&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/MNRAS/STX1772
DO - 10.1093/MNRAS/STX1772
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85048858229
VL - 471
SP - 2174
EP - 2186
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
SN - 0035-8711
IS - 2
ER -