The Proximity Effect on the Lyman α Forest Due to a Foreground QSO

Abstract

The influence of a foreground QSO on the Lyman a forest of another QSO with higher redshift has been investigated by analysing the spectra of three such objects at redshifts z = 2-2.7. This influence is not contaminated by any projection effects, as opposed to the inverse effect along the line of sight, where incomplete coverage of the QSO continuum emitting region by the Lyman a clouds could contribute to the relative lack of lines. Our results are consistent with the existence of a proximity effect caused by the foreground QSO, but as a result of its weakness we can only reject the absence of such effect at ~ 1 a level. By modelling this proximity effect assuming that Lyman a clouds are low-density highly ionized objects we find that the best value for the UV photoionizing intensity at those redshifts is ~ 10" 205 erg cm-2 s-1 Hz-1 srad-1 at the Lyman limit, which is consistent with previous estimates of the background based on the inverse effect. We also find an absolute lower limit (at 95 per cent confidence) to the UV intensity at the level of 10" 218 erg cm-2 s" 1 Hz" 1 srad" ^ which means the rejection of a number of models for the UV background where it is mostly contributed by QSOs, and absorption by Lyman limit systems is taken into account.