Measurements of the z ~ 6 intergalactic medium optical depth and transmission spikes using a new z > 6.3 quasar sample

We report new measurements of the intergalactic medium (IGM) Ly$\alpha$ and Ly$\beta$ effective optical depth at $5.3 5.3$, $\tau\propto(1+z)^{8.6\pm1.0}$. We then estimate the observed Ly$\beta$ effective optical depth using Ly$\beta$ forests and convert them to Ly$\alpha$ optical depth for comparison, which provides additional constraints on the evolution of the IGM optical depth. The Ly$\beta$-based measurements are generally in agreement with the best-fit evolution obtained from Ly$\alpha$ forests. Using this new sample, we identify 389 Ly$\alpha$ and 50 Ly$\beta$ transmission spikes at $5.5

Keywords:

• Quasar
• Astrophysics
• intergalactic medium
• Physics
• Optical depth

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