Mapping the Cosmic Web with Ly-alpha Emission
Preprint
- 31 October 2003
Abstract
We use a high-resolution cosmological simulation to predict the distribution of HI Ly-alpha emission from the low-redshift (z10^2 kpc) ``coronae'' of optically thin gas with Ly-alpha surface brightness close to the expected background. Most of these regions contain smaller cores of dense, cool gas. Unless self-shielded gas is able to cool to T<10^4.1 K, these cores are much brighter than the background. The Ly-alpha coronae represent ``cooling flows'' of IGM gas accreting onto galaxies. We also estimate the number of Ly-alpha photons produced through the reprocessing of stellar ionizing radiation in the interstellar medium of galaxies; while this mechanism is responsible for the brightest Ly-alpha emission, it occurs on small physical scales and can be separated using high-resolution observations. In all cases, we find that Ly-alpha emitters are numerous (with a space density ~0.1 h^3 Mpc^-3) and closely trace the filamentary structure of the IGM, providing a new way to map gas inside the cosmic web.Keywords
All Related Versions
- Version 1, 2003-10-31, ArXiv
- Published version: The Astrophysical Journal, 599 (1), L1.
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