Erratum: “Destruction of Molecular Hydrogen during Cosmological Reionization” (ApJ, 476, 458 [1997])

Abstract

In the paper ``Destruction of Molecular Hydrogen during Cosmological Reionization'' by Zoltán Haiman, Martin J. Rees, and Abraham Loeb (ApJ, 476, 458 [1997]), Figure 3 is incorrect. Because of a typographical error in the chemistry routine, the ionization profiles and the derived shielding masses were calculated for densities lower than the stated values. As a result, the shielding masses shown in Figures 3a and 3b are artificially high. Figure 1 below shows the corrected version of Figure 3a; the extent of the correction to Figure 3b is similar. Although the correction substantially reduces the shielding masses, the original claim in the paper--thatH2 is universally destroyed in objects with virialtemperatures below Tvir = 104 K long before the universe is reionized--remains valid. The baryonic mass corresponding to 104 K in the spherical top-hat collapse model isM4 = 107M⊙(Ωb/0.1)(h/0.5)-1[(1 +zvir)/10]-3/2, while the value of J21 necessary to ionize the universe (i.e., the radiation densitycorresponding to one photon per baryon) is J*21 = 80(Ωbh2/0.025)[(1 + z)/25]3. In all cases shown in the corrected figure, the shielding masses at J*21 still exceed the value of M4 by several orders of magnitude.The authors would like to thank Richard B. Larson for his comment that led to the correction of this error.