In this thesis we investigate the large-scale distribution of Ly alpha forest absorption, the effect of ionizing radiation from QSOs on their surrounding intergalactic medium and the primordial abundance of deuterium. We develop a new technique for detecting structure on Mpc scales in the Ly alpha forest. This technique does not rely on identifying individual absorption lines but is rather based on the statistics of the transmitted flux. We demonstrate that the new method is significantly more sensitive to the presence of large-scale structure in the Ly alpha forest than a two-point correlation function analysis. We apply this method to 2 A resolution spectra of ten QSOs which cover the redshift range 2.2 < z < 3.4. The QSOs form a closely spaced group on the sky and are concentrated within a 1-deg^2 field. We find evidence for large-scale structure in the distribution of Ly alpha forest absorption at the > 99 per cent confidence level. Along the line of sight we find overdense Ly alpha absorption on scales of up to 1200 km s^-1. There is also strong evidence for correlated absorption across line of sight pairs separated by < 3 h^-1 Mpc. For larger separations the cross-correlation signal becomes progressively less significant. Using the same technique and dataset we confirm the existence of the proximity effect. We derive a value for the mean intensity of the extragalactic background radiation at the Lyman limit of J = (3.6^+3.5_-1.3) x 10^-22 ergs s^-1 cm^-2 Hz^-1 sr^-1. This value assumes that QSO redshifts measured from high ionization lines differ from the true systemic redshifts by Delta v = 800 km s^-1. Allowing for known QSO variability we find evidence at a level of 2.1 sigma that the significance of the proximity effect is correlated with QSO Lyman limit luminosity. From the complete sample we find no evidence for the existence of a foreground proximity effect, implying either that J > 20 x 10^-22 ergs s^-1 cm^-2 Hz^-1 sr^-1 or that QSOs emit at least a factor of 1.4 less ionizing radiation in the plane of the sky than along the line of sight to Earth. We do, however, find one counter-example where a foreground QSO apparently depletes the absorbing gas in four surrounding lines of sight. We discuss the feasibility of pre-selecting absorption systems from low resolution data for a measurement of the primordial deuterium abundance. We present a new, low resolution spectroscopic survey of 101 high redshift QSOs aimed at identifying candidate D/H systems. We further present an echelle spectrum of a Lyman limit system at z = 2.917. We find that this system is most likely heavily contaminated and does not yield an interesting limit on D/H.

Cosmic reionization was most likely initiated by star forming dwarf galaxies. Little is known about the physical mechanisms allowing ionizing Lyman continuum (LyC) photons to escape from galaxies, but to learn more we can study local galaxies in detail. Until now, there has however only been one claim of a local LyC leaking galaxy, the disputed case of Haro 11. The lack of local detections could in part be a combined effect of technical problems and search strategies. Re-examining the FUSE (Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer) data of Haro 11 led us to develop a new model for the spectral reduction, by which we could confirm an escape fraction of LyC photons (fesc) of 3.3±0.7%. In addition, eight more galaxies from the FUSE archive were examined leading to a new detection, Tol 1247-232, with fesc = 2.4±0.5%. The low value derived from the stacked spectrum of the whole sample, fesc = 1.4±0.4%, could be an indication of an evolving fesc scenario and/or an effect of probing the wrong targets. Local LyC candidates are normally selected among starburst galaxies with high equivalent widths in Hα. This can however give preference to ionization bounded H II regions with low escape fractions. In an attempt to overcome this selection bias, we developed a novel method to select LyC leaking galaxies. The selection is based on a blue continuum and weak emission lines, properties that in combination can be explained only by models with very high fesc. Using these criteria, we selected a sample of leaking candidates at z≈0.03 to be observed in Hα and Johnson B filters. The sample galaxies have properties that strongly favour leakage. Among these are clear signs of mergers and interaction with neighbouring galaxies, off-centre major star forming regions and spectral properties indicating previous starburst activity. The Lyman-alpha (Lyα) line is often used as a tracer for the distant galaxies believed to have reionized the universe. Here, for the first time local face-on spiral galaxies are studied in Lyα imaging. All three galaxies are emitting Lyα photons in the polar direction far out in the spiral arms, in clear contrast to previously studied irregular galaxies where strong emission is seen from the nuclei. If the small sample studied here is representative, it will have implications for detecting Lyα galaxies at high redshifts as it would depend strongly on the viewing angle.

Depuis une quinzaine d'années, de nombreuses galaxies sont détectées grâce à leur raie d'émission Lyman-alpha à des décalages spectraux supérieurs à 3. Ces objets, dits Émetteurs Lyman-alpha, nous permettent ainsi de sonder les galaxies dans l'Univers lointain, alors âgé de moins de deux milliards d'années. Bien qu'un grand nombre d'Émetteurs Lyman-alpha ait été détecté jusqu'à présent, leurs propriétés statistiques et physiques sont encore mal contraintes. En effet, les observations sont difficiles à interpréter du fait des effets de transfert résonnant des photons Lyman-alpha dans le milieu interstellaire et de la cinématique du gaz. En plus des observations, des efforts théoriques sont donc nécessaires pour mieux comprendre les caractéristiques physiques de ces objets, leur rôle dans le scénario de formation hiérarchique des galaxies, et leur lien avec l'autre grande populations de galaxies lointaines, les galaxies à discontinuité de Lyman. Cette thèse a pour but de proposer une modélisation originale de cette population d'Émetteurs Lyman-alpha dans le contexte cosmologique. La formation et l'évolution hiérarchique des galaxies est décrite grâce au modèle hybride GALICS, associant une simulation à N corps de matière noire, à des prescriptions semi-analytiques pour modéliser la physique des galaxies. GALICS prédit les propriétés physiques d'un large échantillon de galaxies entre z~3 et 7. Les propriétés de la raie Lyman-alpha sont obtenues grâce au couplage de GALICS avec une librairie de modèles numériques, réalisés avec le code MCLya. Avec cette approche, la fraction d'évasion des photons Lyman-alpha et le profil de la raie émergent des galaxies peuvent ainsi être prédits, en prenant en compte les effets de transfert résonnant des photons Lyman-alpha et la cinématique du milieu. Le modèle prévoit une forte dispersion de la fraction d'évasion des photons Lyman-alpha fesc en fonction de leur taux de formation stellaire. Les galaxies peu massives, formant peu d'étoiles ont une fraction d'évasion Lyman-alpha de l'ordre de l'unité. En revanche, fesc est distribué entre 0 et 1 pour les objets plus massifs, formant intensément des étoiles, selon les propriétés physiques des galaxies. Les résultats du modèle donnent un accord satisfaisant avec la plupart des observations, en particulier les fonctions de luminosité Lyman-alpha et UV entre z~3 et 7. Le modèle parvient à reproduire conjointement les propriétés UV des galaxies sélectionnées en UV (galaxies à discontinuité de Lyman) et celles des Émetteurs Lyman-alpha. Nous trouvons que les Émetteurs Lyman-alpha sont des galaxies de masse modérée présentant des profils de raie asymétriques, en bon accord avec les données observationnelles. Le modèle prévoit notamment une forte abondance de galaxies de faible luminosité Lyman-alpha. Ces objets peu lumineux seront une des cibles privilégiées du spectrographe intégral de champ MUSE, qui sera prochainement installé au VLT. Dans le but d'aider à la préparation des futurs relevés que MUSE effectuera, des champs fictifs d'Émetteurs Lyman-alpha ont été construits grâce au modèle pour fournir des prédictions, notamment en terme de comptages et de variance cosmique.

This paper treats a non-intrusive method of measuring electric fields in plasmas and other sensitive or hostile environments. The method is based on the use of an atomic hydrogen beam prepared in the metastable fine structure quantum state 2s1/2. Interaction with the field that is to be measured causes Stark mixing with the closely lying 2p1/2, whose spontaneous decay rate is much higher than that of 2s1/2. As a result, the total transition rate to the ground state and consequently the intensity of the Lyman-α line (121.6nm) is increased. Observations of emitted radiation from a region in which the interaction takes place are used to draw conclusions about the electric field, effectively providing a way to measure it. In the first section, the theory behind the method is described, using time dependent perturbation theory and taking into account both Lamb shift and hyperfine structure. A description of the set-up that we have used to test the theoretical predictions follows and practical aspects related to the operation of the experiment are briefly addressed. Measurements of the dependence of the Lyman-α intensity on both electric field frequency and amplitude are presented and shown to be in agreement with theory. These measurements have been performed in vacuum and in an argon plasma, both for static and RF fields. Two mechanisms, labeled oscillatory and geometrical saturation, that decrease the emitted intensity for strong fields are identified and described, and both are of importance for the future implementation of the studied diagnostic in a fusion device or other plasma experiment. Studies of the field profiles between a pair of electrically polarized plates have been carried out and algorithms for relating measured data to actual values of electric field strength have been developed. For static fields in vacuum, collected data is compensated for geometrical saturation and the resulting profiles are compared to those calculated with a finite element method. Good correspondence is seen in many cases, and where it is not, the discrepancies are explained. Static profile measurements in a plasma show the formation of a sheath whose thickness has been studied while varying discharge current, pressure and plasma frequency. The qualitative dependence of the sheath thickness on these parameters is in accordance with well established theory. When it comes to RF fields, a possible standing wave pattern is detected in the plasma despite problems with low signal to noise ratio. In order to optimize the working conditions of the set-up, effects of charge accumulation due to ions present in the hydrogen beam have been studied as well as errors due to residual particle fluxes during the off-phase when pulsing the beam. A conceptual design suggestion for implementing the method in the edge plasma of a tokamak or another similar device, based on the collected information, is also given.

Clues about the timing of reionization and the nature of the ionizing sources responsible are imprinted in the ionization and thermal state of the IGM. In this thesis, I use high-resolution quasar spectra in conjunction with state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations to probe the IGM at high redshift, focusing on the ionization and thermal state of the gas. After reionization, the ionization state of the IGM is set by the intensity of the ultraviolet background(UVB), quantified by the hydrogen photoionization rate, Γ_bkg. At high redshifts this has been estimated by measuring the mean flux in the Lyα forest, and scaling Γ_bkg in simulations such that the simulated mean flux matches the observed value. In Chapter 3 I investigate whether the precision of these estimates can be improved by using the entire flux probability distribution function (PDF) instead of only the mean flux. Although I find it cannot improve the precision directly, the flux PDF can potentially be used to constrain other sources of error in observational estimates of Γ_bkg, and so may increase the precision indirectly. The ionizing output of a quasar will locally dominate over the UVB, and this leads to enhanced transmission bluewards of the quasar Lyα line, known as the proximity effect. In Chapter 4 I present the first measurements of Γ_bkg at z > 5 from the proximity effect. The UVB intensity declines smoothly with redshift over 4.6 < z < 6.4, implying a smooth evolution in the mean free path of ionizing photons. This suggests that reionization ends at z > 6.4. There is a drop in Γ_bkg by roughly a factor of five, which corresponds to a drop in the ionizing emissivity by about a factor of two. Such a redshift evolution in the emissivity cannot continue to much higher redshift without reionization failing to complete, which suggests that reionization cannot have ended much higher than z = 6.4. Estimates of Γ_bkg from the proximity effect and the mean flux are generally discrepant at z ~ 2-4, with those from the proximity effect systematically higher. This is generally attributed to effects of the quasar environment. I investigate the significance of several environmental biases on proximity effect measurements at z ~ 5-6 in Chapter 5. The biases are found to be small, and so the proximity effect is expected to give relatively unbiased estimates of Γ_bkg at z > 5, in contrast to lower redshifts. Photoionization heats the gas in the IGM, and so the thermal history of the IGM provides important constraints on reionization. The thermal state of the IGM is reflected in the level of small-scale structure in the Lyα forest. In Chapter 6 I quantify the small-scale structure using two independent statistics, the curvature and the peakiness, and convert these into a temperature by comparing with simulations. These are the first measurements of the temperature in the general IGM at z > 5. Both statistics show an increase in the temperature by a factor of roughly two from z = 4.4 to 5.6. This rise is sensitive, however, to any smoothing of the gas density distribution due to the thermal history spanning reionization. I find that this should only be a small effect, as otherwise the corrected temperatures at z ~ 4-5 are implausibly low. The temperature evolution therefore suggests a late reionization. The temperatures at z ≥ 4.8 are well fit by an adiabatic cooling curve, for which reasonable peak temperatures at the end of reionization are reached at 6 ≲ z ≲ 7. The temperatures at z ~ 4-5 are consistent with reionization being carried out by Pop II stars. In conclusion, the ionization and thermal state of the IGM at z ~ 5-6 suggest a late hydrogen reionization, driven by star-forming galaxies and ending around 6.5 ≲ z ≲ 7. This is consistent with other recent lines of observational evidence, and supports theoretical models that infer a late reionization from the observed star formation rate history.

No description available.

Europa is one of the most interesting satellites in the solar system in the search ofextra-terrestrial life, as it harbours an interior water ocean under its icy surface. Watervapour in Europa’s atmosphere has been previously observed, suggesting water plumeeruptions from the surface. These plumes could potentially originate from the subsurfaceocean, and as such contain ocean constituents that can be examined in orbit. Twoobservations of Europa’s far-ultraviolet shadow on Jupiter were made by the HubbleSpace Telescope in 2018 and 2019. It was observed in Lyman-α (1 216 Å), a spectral lineof hydrogen. This study investigates the imaged Lyman-α shadow in search of potentialplumes at the shadow limb. Examining the shadow instead of the moon itself is a newmethod of remotely studying the Europan atmosphere. Forward modelling is applied tocreate artificial images that are compared to the observations. Any anomalies aroundthe shadow limb are then analysed and evaluated for their statistical significance. Twonoteworthy outliers are found at the limb (one on each occasion) corresponding to H2Oline of sight column densities of 3.07×1017 cm−2 and 4.72×1016 cm−2, for the 2018 and2019 observation, respectively. They are not significant however, as they lie within threestandard deviations from the expected value (&lt; 3σ). An upper limit on what columndensity is detectable in the data is computed, yielding 6.71×1016 cm−2 (using only 2019data due to a weak signal on the 2018 occasion). A constraint on the maximum possibleH2O column density at Europa is thus provided. The new method is shown to be usefulfor the intended purpose and could potentially be applied on other icy moons. / Europa är ett av solsystemets mest intressanta objekt i jakten på utomjordiskt liv, dådet finns ett hav av vatten under månens isiga yta. Vattenånga har tidigare observeratsi Europas atmosfär, vilket kan tyda på vattenplymer som skjuts ut från ytan i kraftigautbrott. Dessa plymer kan möjligtvis ha sitt ursprung i månens inre hav, de kandärför möjliggöra en analys av havsvattnets beståndsdelar i omloppsbana. Europasultravioletta skugga på Jupiter observerades vid två tillfällen 2018 och 2019, av HubbleSpace Telescope. Observationerna gjordes i Lyman-α (1 216 Å), en spektrallinje hos väte.Denna studie undersöker den avbildade skuggan i Lyman-α för att söka efter potentiellavattenplymer vid skuggans rand. Att undersöka skuggan istället för själva månen är en nymetod för att studera Europas atmosfär genom fjärranalys. Metoden forward modellinganvänds för att skapa artificiella bilder, som jämförs med observationerna. Eventuellaavvikelser som hittas runt skuggans rand analyseras sedan och deras statistiska signifikansutvärderas. Två anmärkningsvärda avvikelser kan hittas vid randen (en vid varjeobservationstillfälle), som motsvarar H2O-kolumndensiteter på 3.07 × 1017 cm−2 och4.72 × 1016 cm−2, för 2018-observationen respektive 2019-observationen. Densiteternaär dock inte signifikanta, då de ligger inom tre standardavvikelser från deras förväntadevärden (&lt; 3σ). Istället beräknas en övre gräns för vilken kolumndensitet som kandetekteras i datan, vilket ger 6.71 × 1016 cm−2 (där endast 2019-data används på grundav en svag signal hos 2018-observationen). Den högsta möjliga H2O-kolumndensitetenkan således begränsas. Den nya metoden visar sig vara användbar för det tänkta syftetoch kan eventuellt appliceras på andra ismånar.

L'exploration de l'Univers lointain connait présentement un essor sans précédent, grâce notamment à une instrumentation de pointe en perpétuelle amélioration. Les galaxies primordiales sont devenues accessibles par une signature spectrale très intense : la raie de recombinaison de l'hydrogène Lyα. En procède une pléthore d'applications cosmologiques, qui demeurent cependant très fragiles et en proie à diverses incertitudes. En cause, la complexité du transfert radiatif de Lyα, qui est une raie résonante. La présente thèse a pour principal objectif la calibration et la consolidation des quantités, observations et interprétations astrophysiques basées sur l'émission Lyα, en particulier dans l'univers lointain. L'approche principale consiste à observer les analogues locaux des galaxies a flambée de formation d'étoiles distantes, permettant une étude détaillée de la physique Lyα à haute résolution grâce au télescope spatial Hubble. Une étude numérique présente ensuite la simulation du transfert radiatif de Lyα dans les galaxies locales et à un décalage spectral de 3, et le lien entre différentes populations de galaxies. Enfin, la dernière partie de ce travail présente une estimation empirique d'une quantité physique cruciale pour la calibration des observables Lyα, à savoir la fraction d'échappement fesc(Lyα), ainsi que les caractéristiques physiques des émetteurs Lyα détectés par GALEX.

The framework of the studies presented in this thesis is the one-dimensional power spectrum of the transmitted flux in the Lyman-alpha forests. The Lyman-alpha forest is an an absorption pattern seen in the spectra of high redshift quasars corresponding to the absorption of the quasar light by the hydrogen clouds along the line of sight. It is a powerful cosmological tool as it probes relatively small scales, of the order of a few Mpc. It is also sensible to small non-linear effects such as the one induced by massive neutrinos.First, we have developed two independent methods to measure the one-dimensional power spectrum of the transmitted flux in the Lyman-alpha forest. The first method is based on a Fourier transform, and the second on a maximum likelihood estimator. The two methods are independent and have different systematic uncertainties. The determination of the noise level in the data spectra was subject to a novel treatment, because of its significant impact on the derived power spectrum. We applied the two methods to 13,821 quasar spectra from SDSS-III/BOSS DR9 selected from a larger sample of over 60,000 spectra on the basis of their high quality, large signal-to-noise ratio, and good spectral resolution. The power spectra measured using either approach are in good agreement over all twelve redshift bins from =2.2 to =4.4, and scales from 0.001 (km/s)^−1 to 0.02 (km/s)^−1. We carefully determined the methodological and instrumental systematic uncertainties of our measurements.Then, we present a suite of cosmological N-body simulations with cold dark matter, baryons and neutrinos aiming at modeling the low-density regions of the IGM as probed by the Lyman-alpha forests at high redshift. The simulations are designed to match the requirements imposed by the quality of BOSS and eBOSS data. They are made using either 768^3 or 192^3 particles of each type, spanning volumes ranging from (25 Mpc/h)^3 for high-resolution simulations to (100 Mpc/h)^3 for large-volume ones. Using a splicing technique, the resolution is further enhanced to reach the equivalent of simulations with 3072^3 = 29 billion particles of each type in a (100 Mpc/h)^3 box size, i.e. a mean mass per gas particle of 1.2x10^5 solar masses. We show that the resulting power spectrum is accurate at the 2% level over the full range from a few Mpc to several tens of Mpc. We explore the effect on the one-dimensional transmitted-flux power spectrum of 4 cosmological parameters (n_s, sigma_8, Omega_m ,H_0), 2 astrophysical parameters (T_0, gamma) related to the heating rate of the IGM and the sum of the neutrino masses. By varying the input parameters around a central model chosen to be in agreement with the latest Planck results, we built a grid of simulations that allows the study of the impact on the flux power spectrum of these seven relevant parameters. We improve upon previous studies by not only measuring the effect of each parameter individually, but also probing the impact of the simultaneous variation of each pair of parameters. We thus provide a full second-order expansion, including cross-terms, around our central model. We check the validity of the second-order expansion with independent simulations obtained either with different cosmological parameters or different seeds for the initial condition generation. Finally, a comparison to the one-dimensional Lyman-alpha forest power spectrum obtained in the first part with BOSS data shows an excellent agreement.Eventually, even if there are still some potential biases and systematic errors that need to be studied in our simulation, we performed cosmological fits combining our measurement of the one-dimensional power spectrum and other cosmological probes such as the CMB results provided by Planck. These preliminary results are very encouraging as they lead to some of the tighest cosmological constraints as of today, especially on the sum of the neutrino masses with an upper limit of 0.1 eV.

La première partie de cette thèse présente une modélisation des émissions aurorales de Jupiter dans l'ultraviolet. Le but de ce travail est de quantifier comment ces émissions permettent de contraindre l'énergie des électrons qui précipitent dans la haute atmosphère polaire de la planète. Deux types d'émissions sont étudiés : celle de la raie Lyman alpha de l'hydrogène atomique ainsi que celles de H2. Les précipitations d'électrons aurorales sont modélisées à l'aide d'un code de transport cinétique. Le profil et l'intensité de la raie H Lyman alpha sont obtenus avec un code de transfert radiatif. Des spectres synthétiques des émissions de H2 sont calculés. En étudiant la variabilité des raies en fonction de l'énergie des électrons nous montrons que seules des observations à très haute résolution permettront de contraindre fortement les précipitations d'électrons. La deuxième partie de cette thèse présente la première modélisation de l'émission H Lyman alpha d'un Jupiter chaud jamais réalisée. Si elle était détectée, cette raie permettrait de caractériser l'environnement des planètes extrasolaires. L'émission de l'étoile est beaucoup plus intense que celle de la planète, ce qui rend la détection de la raie planétaire très difficile. Les seules estimations de contraste qui avaient été réalisées jusqu'à présent découlaient d'extrapolations basées sur l'émission de Jupiter. Nous introduisons ici des outils appropriés au calcul des émissions des Jupiter chauds, en tenant compte des spécificités de leur haute atmosphère, et notamment leur forte ionisation et leurs températures qui dépassent les 10 000 K. Nous évaluons l'émission Lyman alpha de deux Jupiter chauds, en tenant compte de plusieurs sources d'excitation des particules : les émissions aurorales et thermiques sont calculées, ainsi que l'émission excitée par le rayonnement de l'étoile. Nous montrons que, dans le cas du Jupiter chaud HD 209458b, la détection de l'émission planétaire n'est pas possible avec les instruments actuels. En revanche la raie Lyman alpha du Jupiter chaud HD 189733b semble pouvoir être détectée avec l'instrument STIS du télescope spatial Hubble.