%0 Generic %1 pieri2014forest %A Pieri, Matthew M. %D 2014 %K absorption civ %T The C IV Forest as a Probe of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1404.4569 %X In light of recent successes in measuring baryon acoustic oscillations in quasar absorption using the Lyman-alpha (Ly-alpha) transition, I explore the possibility of using the 1548 Ang transition of triply-ionized carbon (C IV) as a tracer. While the Ly-alpha forest is a more sensitive tracer of intergalactic gas, it is limited by the fact that it can only be measured in the optical window at redshifts z > 2. Quasars are challenging to identify and observe at these high-redshifts, but the C IV forest can be probed down to redshifts z = 1.3, taking full advantage of the peak in the redshift distribution of quasars that can be targeted with high efficiency. I explore the strength of the C IV absorption signal and show that the absorbing population on the red side of the Ly-alpha emission line is dominated by C IV. As a consequence, I argue that forthcoming surveys will have a sufficient increase in quasar number density to offset the lower sensitivity of the C IV forest and provide competitive precision using both the C IV autocorrelation and the C IV-quasar cross correlation at <z> = 1.6.

@misc{pieri2014forest, abstract = {In light of recent successes in measuring baryon acoustic oscillations in quasar absorption using the Lyman-alpha (Ly-alpha) transition, I explore the possibility of using the 1548 Ang transition of triply-ionized carbon (C IV) as a tracer. While the Ly-alpha forest is a more sensitive tracer of intergalactic gas, it is limited by the fact that it can only be measured in the optical window at redshifts z > 2. Quasars are challenging to identify and observe at these high-redshifts, but the C IV forest can be probed down to redshifts z = 1.3, taking full advantage of the peak in the redshift distribution of quasars that can be targeted with high efficiency. I explore the strength of the C IV absorption signal and show that the absorbing population on the red side of the Ly-alpha emission line is dominated by C IV. As a consequence, I argue that forthcoming surveys will have a sufficient increase in quasar number density to offset the lower sensitivity of the C IV forest and provide competitive precision using both the C IV autocorrelation and the C IV-quasar cross correlation at <z> = 1.6.}, added-at = {2014-04-18T12:07:53.000+0200}, author = {Pieri, Matthew M.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2a37697f7cc0119c8bda99762d5e2b2fe/miki}, description = {[1404.4569] The C IV Forest as a Probe of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations}, interhash = {31c0ab2b03e09cbcd42fba3addd83da7}, intrahash = {a37697f7cc0119c8bda99762d5e2b2fe}, keywords = {absorption civ}, note = {cite arxiv:1404.4569Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to MNRAS letters}, timestamp = {2014-04-18T12:07:53.000+0200}, title = {The C IV Forest as a Probe of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1404.4569}, year = 2014 }