Erratum: “Physical Properties, Baryon Content, and Evolution of the Lyα Forest: New Insights from High‐Resolution Observations at z ≲ 0.4” (ApJ, 658, 680 [2007])

Abstract

We present a study of the Ly forest at z =13.2, with a column density distribution f (N H I) propto N_HI^-beta. For narrow (b 40 km s À1) Ly absorbers (referred to as NLAs and BLAs, respectively). Both the NLAs and some BLAs probe the cool (T $ 10 4 K) photoionized IGM. The BLAs also probe the highly ionized gas of the warm-hot IGM (T ' 10 5 Y10 6 K). The distribution of b has a more prominent high-velocity tail at z P 0:4 than at 1:5 P z P 3:6, which results in median and mean b-values that are 15%Y30% higher at low z than at high z. The ratio of the number density of BLAs to NLAs at z P 0:4 is a factor of $3 higher than at 1:5 P z P 3:6.