The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite

We study the effect of different feedback prescriptions on the properties of the low redshift (z ≤ 1.6) Ly α forest using a selection of hydrodynamical simulations drawn from the Sherwood simulation suite. The simulations incorporate stellar feedback, AGN feedback and a simplified scheme for efficie...

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Main Authors: Nasir, Fahad, Bolton, James S., Viel, Matteo, Kim, Tae-Sun
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44068/
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author Nasir, Fahad
Bolton, James S.
Viel, Matteo
Kim, Tae-Sun
author_facet Nasir, Fahad
Bolton, James S.
Viel, Matteo
Kim, Tae-Sun
author_sort Nasir, Fahad
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description We study the effect of different feedback prescriptions on the properties of the low redshift (z ≤ 1.6) Ly α forest using a selection of hydrodynamical simulations drawn from the Sherwood simulation suite. The simulations incorporate stellar feedback, AGN feedback and a simplified scheme for efficiently modelling the low column density Lyα forest. We confirm a discrepancy remains between Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) observations of the Lyα forest column density distribution function (CDDF) at z ≃ 0.1 for high column density systems (NHI > 1014 cm−2), as well as Lyα velocity widths that are too narrow compared to the COS data. Stellar or AGN feedback – as currently implemented in our simulations – have only a small effect on the CDDF and velocity width distribution. We conclude that resolving the discrepancy between the COS data and simulations requires an increase in the temperature of overdense gas with Δ = 4–40, either through additional HeII photo-heating at z > 2 or fine-tuned feedback that ejects overdense gas into the IGM at just the right temperature for it to still contribute significantly to the Lyα forest. Alternatively a larger, currently unresolved turbulent component to the line width could resolve the discrepancy.
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spelling nottingham-440682020-05-04T19:11:47Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44068/ The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite Nasir, Fahad Bolton, James S. Viel, Matteo Kim, Tae-Sun We study the effect of different feedback prescriptions on the properties of the low redshift (z ≤ 1.6) Ly α forest using a selection of hydrodynamical simulations drawn from the Sherwood simulation suite. The simulations incorporate stellar feedback, AGN feedback and a simplified scheme for efficiently modelling the low column density Lyα forest. We confirm a discrepancy remains between Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) observations of the Lyα forest column density distribution function (CDDF) at z ≃ 0.1 for high column density systems (NHI > 1014 cm−2), as well as Lyα velocity widths that are too narrow compared to the COS data. Stellar or AGN feedback – as currently implemented in our simulations – have only a small effect on the CDDF and velocity width distribution. We conclude that resolving the discrepancy between the COS data and simulations requires an increase in the temperature of overdense gas with Δ = 4–40, either through additional HeII photo-heating at z > 2 or fine-tuned feedback that ejects overdense gas into the IGM at just the right temperature for it to still contribute significantly to the Lyα forest. Alternatively a larger, currently unresolved turbulent component to the line width could resolve the discrepancy. Oxford University Press 2017-10-11 Article PeerReviewed Nasir, Fahad, Bolton, James S., Viel, Matteo and Kim, Tae-Sun (2017) The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 471 (1). pp. 1056-1059. ISSN 1365-2966 Numerical methods Intergalatic medium Quasars Absorption lines https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/471/1/1056/3906606/The-effect-of-stellar-and-AGN-feedback-on-the-low doi:10.1093/mnras/stx1648 doi:10.1093/mnras/stx1648
spellingShingle Numerical methods
Intergalatic medium
Quasars
Absorption lines
Nasir, Fahad
Bolton, James S.
Viel, Matteo
Kim, Tae-Sun
The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite
title The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite
title_full The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite
title_fullStr The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite
title_full_unstemmed The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite
title_short The effect of stellar and AGN feedback on the low redshift Lyman-α forest in the Sherwood simulation suite
title_sort effect of stellar and agn feedback on the low redshift lyman-α forest in the sherwood simulation suite
topic Numerical methods
Intergalatic medium
Quasars
Absorption lines
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44068/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44068/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44068/