%0 Generic %1 lee2014constraints %A Lee, Khee-Gan %A Hennawi, Joseph P. %A Spergel, David N. %A Weinberg, David H. %A Hogg, David W. %A Viel, Matteo %A Bolton, James S. %A Bailey, Stephen %A Pieri, Matthew M. %A Carithers, William %A Schlegel, David J. %A Lundgren, Britt %A Palanque-Delabrouille, Nathalie %A Suzuki, Nao %A Schneider, Donald P. %A Yeche, Christophe %D 2014 %K forest lya statistics %T IGM Constraints from the SDSS-III/BOSS DR9 Ly-alpha Forest Flux Probability Distribution Function %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1405.1072 %X The Ly$\alpha$ forest flux probability distribution function (PDF) is an established probe of the intergalactic medium (IGM) astrophysics, especially the temperature-density relationship of the IGM. We measure the flux PDF from 3393 Baryon Oscillations Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) quasars from SDSS Data Release 9, and compare with mock spectra that include careful modeling of the noise, continuum, and astrophysical uncertainties. The BOSS flux PDFs, measured at $z = 2.3,2.6,3.0$, are compared with PDFs created from mock spectra drawn from a suite of hydrodynamical simulations that sample the IGM temperature-density relationship, $\gamma$, and temperature at mean-density, $T_0$, where $T(\Delta) = T_0 \Delta^\gamma-1$. We find that a significant population of partial Lyman-limit systems with a column-density distribution slope of $\beta_pLLS -2$ are required to explain the data at the low-flux end of flux PDF, while uncertainties in the mean łya\ forest transmission affect the high-flux end. After modelling the LLSs and marginalizing over mean-transmission uncertainties, we find that $\gamma=1.6$ best describes the data over our entire redshift range, although constraints on $T_0$ are affected by systematic uncertainties. Isothermal or inverted temperature-density relationships ($1$) are disfavored at a significance of over 4$\sigma$.

@misc{lee2014constraints, abstract = {The Ly$\alpha$ forest flux probability distribution function (PDF) is an established probe of the intergalactic medium (IGM) astrophysics, especially the temperature-density relationship of the IGM. We measure the flux PDF from 3393 Baryon Oscillations Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) quasars from SDSS Data Release 9, and compare with mock spectra that include careful modeling of the noise, continuum, and astrophysical uncertainties. The BOSS flux PDFs, measured at $\langle z \rangle = [2.3,2.6,3.0]$, are compared with PDFs created from mock spectra drawn from a suite of hydrodynamical simulations that sample the IGM temperature-density relationship, $\gamma$, and temperature at mean-density, $T_0$, where $T(\Delta) = T_0 \Delta^{\gamma-1}$. We find that a significant population of partial Lyman-limit systems with a column-density distribution slope of $\beta_\mathrm{pLLS} \sim -2$ are required to explain the data at the low-flux end of flux PDF, while uncertainties in the mean \lya\ forest transmission affect the high-flux end. After modelling the LLSs and marginalizing over mean-transmission uncertainties, we find that $\gamma=1.6$ best describes the data over our entire redshift range, although constraints on $T_0$ are affected by systematic uncertainties. Isothermal or inverted temperature-density relationships ($\gamma \leq 1$) are disfavored at a significance of over 4$\sigma$.}, added-at = {2014-05-07T10:07:52.000+0200}, author = {Lee, Khee-Gan and Hennawi, Joseph P. and Spergel, David N. and Weinberg, David H. and Hogg, David W. and Viel, Matteo and Bolton, James S. and Bailey, Stephen and Pieri, Matthew M. and Carithers, William and Schlegel, David J. and Lundgren, Britt and Palanque-Delabrouille, Nathalie and Suzuki, Nao and Schneider, Donald P. and Yeche, Christophe}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2a9e714a0c93d6ef63f9e34ab02147cee/miki}, description = {[1405.1072] IGM Constraints from the SDSS-III/BOSS DR9 Ly-alpha Forest Flux Probability Distribution Function}, interhash = {3d94756342b0f023901883b910d477fb}, intrahash = {a9e714a0c93d6ef63f9e34ab02147cee}, keywords = {forest lya statistics}, note = {cite arxiv:1405.1072Comment: 34 pages, 25 figures. To be submitted to ApJ}, timestamp = {2014-05-07T10:07:52.000+0200}, title = {IGM Constraints from the SDSS-III/BOSS DR9 Ly-alpha Forest Flux Probability Distribution Function}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1405.1072}, year = 2014 }