Discovery of Excess O?I Absorption toward the z=6.42 QSO SDSS?J1148+5251
We present a search for O?I in the spectra of nine 4.9 ? zQSO ? 6.4 QSOs taken with Keck HIRES. We detect six systems with N > 1013.7 cm-2 in the redshift intervals where O?I??1302 falls redward of the Ly? forest. Four of these lie toward SDSS?J1148+5251 (zQSO = 6.42). This imbalance is unlikely to arise from variations in sensitivity among our data or from a statistical fluctuation. The excess O?I occurs over a redshift interval that also contains transmission in Ly? and Ly?. Therefore, if these O?I systems represent pockets of neutral gas, then they must occur within or near regions of the IGM that are highly ionized. In contrast, no O?I is detected toward SDSS?J1030+0524 (zQSO = 6.30), whose spectrum shows complete absorption in Ly? and Ly? over ?z ~ 0.2. Assuming no ionization corrections, we measure mean abundance ratios [O/Si] = -0.04 ? 0.06, [C/O] = -0.31 ? 0.09, and [C/Si] = -0.34 ? 0.07 (2 ?), which are consistent with enrichment dominated by Type II supernovae. The O/Si ratio limits the fraction of silicon in these systems contributed by metal-free very massive stars to 30%, a result that is insensitive to ionization corrections. The ionic comoving mass densities along the zQSO > 6.2 sight lines, including only the detected systems, are ? = (7.0 ? 0.6) ? 10-8, ? = (9.6 ? 0.9) ? 10-9, and ? = (1.5 ? 0.2) ? 10-8.

title: A Spectacular Radio Flare from XRF 050416a at 40 Days and Implications for the Nature of X-Ray Flashes
abstract: We present detailed optical, near-infrared, and radio observations of the X-ray flash XRF 050416a obtained with Palomar and Siding Springs Observatories, as well as the HST and VLA, placing this event among the best-studied X-ray flashes to date. In addition, we present an optical spectrum from Keck LRIS from which we measure the redshift of the burst, z = 0.6528. At this redshift the isotropic-equivalent prompt energy release was about 1051 ergs, and using a standard afterglow synchrotron model, we find that the blast wave kinetic energy is a factor of 10 larger, EK,iso ≈ 1052 ergs. The lack of an observed jet break to t ~ 20 days indicates that the opening angle is θj 7° and the total beaming-corrected relativistic energy is 1050 ergs. We further show that the burst produced a strong radio flare at t ~ 40 days accompanied by an observed flattening in the X-ray band, which we attribute to an abrupt circumburst density jump or an episode of energy injection (from either a refreshed shock or off-axis ejecta). Late-time observations with HST show evidence for an associated supernova with peak optical luminosity roughly comparable to that of SN 1998bw. Next, we show that the host galaxy of XRF 050416a is actively forming stars at a rate of at least 2 M☉ yr-1 with a luminosity of LB ≈ 0.5L* and metallicity of Z ~ 0.2-0.8 Z☉. Finally, we discuss the nature of XRF 050416a in the context of short-hard GRBs and under the framework of off-axis and dirty fireball models for X-ray flashes.

title: Constraining reionization using the thermal history of the baryons
abstract: The thermal evolution of the intergalactic medium (IGM) depends on the reionization history of the universe. Numerical simulations indicate that the low density IGM, which is responsible for the low column density Ly-alpha forest, follows a well defined temperature-density relation. This results in a cut-off in the distribution of line widths as a function of column density. We use hydrodynamic simulations to calibrate the relation between the cut-off and the temperature-density relation and apply this relation to Keck spectra spanning a redshift range z=2-4.5. We find that the temperature peaks at z~3 and interpret this as evidence for reheating due to the reionization of helium.

title: The Detection of Oxygen in the Low-Density Intergalactic Medium
abstract: The abundances of metals in the intergalactic medium (IGM) can be used to constrain the amount of star formation at high redshift and the spectral shape of the ionizing background radiation. For both purposes, it is essential to measure the abundances in regions of low density, away from local sources of metals and ionizing photons. Here we report the first detection of O VI in the low-density IGM at high redshift. We perform a pixel-by-pixel search for O VI absorption in eight high-quality quasar spectra spanning the redshift range z = 2.0-4.5. At 2 z 3, we clearly detect O VI in the form of a positive correlation between the H I Lyα optical depth and the optical depth in the corresponding O VI pixel, down to τ ~ 10-1. This is an order of magnitude lower in τ than the best C IV measurements can probe, and it constitutes the first clear detection of metals in underdense gas. The nondetection of O VI at z > 3 is consistent with the enhanced photoionization from a hardening of the UV background below z ~ 3 but could also be caused by the high level of contamination from Lyman series lines.

title: Omega (baryon) and the geometry of intermediate redshift Lyman alpha absorption systems
abstract: Estimates of Omega_baryon from primordial nucleosynthesis together with standard assumptions about the ionization state of low column density Lyman alpha forest clouds can be used to determine an upper limit for the cloud thickness along the line of sight. This upper limit provides significant constraints on the axis ratio of the absorbers and on the overall fraction of the baryonic matter contained in these objects if the recently measured large values for their transversal size are representative. The absorbers have to be considerably flattened structures and may possibly contain a substantial fraction of the baryonic matter at high redshift.

title: The Observed Probability Distribution Function, Power Spectrum, and Correlation Function of the Transmitted Flux in the Lyα Forest*
abstract: A sample of eight quasars observed at high resolution and signal-to-noise ratio is used to determine the transmitted flux probability distribution function (TFPDF), and the power spectrum and correlation function of the transmitted flux in the Lyα forest, in three redshift bins centered at z = 2.41, 3.00, and 3.89. All the results are presented in tabular form, with full error covariance matrices, to allow for comparisons with any numerical simulations and with other data sets. The observations are compared with a numerical simulation of the Lyα forest of a ΛCDM model with Ω = 0.4, known to agree with other large-scale structure observational constraints. There is excellent agreement for the TFPDF if the mean transmitted flux is adjusted to match the observations. A small difference between the observed and predicted TFPDF is found at high fluxes and low redshift, which may be due to the uncertain effects of fitting the spectral continuum. Using the numerical simulation, we show how the flux power spectrum can be used to recover the initial power spectrum of density fluctuations. From our sample of eight quasars, we measure the amplitude of the mass power spectrum to correspond to a linear variance per unit ln k of Δ(k) = 0.72 ± 0.09 at k = 0.04(km s-1)-1 and z = 3, and the slope of the power spectrum near the same k to be np = -2.55 ± 0.10 (statistical error bars). The results are statistically consistent with those of Croft et al., although our value for the rms fluctuation is lower by a factor of 0.75. For the ΛCDM model we use, the implied primordial slope is n = 0.93 ± 0.10, and the normalization is σ8 = 0.68 + 1.16(0.95 - n) ± 0.04.

title: Higgs‐Boson Production in Association with Heavy Quarks
abstract: Associated production of a Higgs boson with a heavy, i.e. top or bottom, quark‐anti‐quark pair provide observation channels for Higgs bosons at the LHC which can be used to measure the respective Yukawa couplings. For the light supersymmetric Higgs boson we present SUSY‐QCD corrections at the one‐loop level, which constitute a significant contribution to the cross section.

title: Measuring extended Higgs sectors as a consistent free couplings model
abstract: A bstractExtended Higgs sectors appear in many models for physics beyond the Standard Model. Current Higgs measurements at the LHC are starting to significantly constrain them. We study their Higgs coupling patterns at tree level as well as including quantum corrections. Our benchmarks include a dark singlet-doublet extension and several twodoublet setups. Using SFitter we translate the current Higgs coupling measurements for one light Higgs state into their respective parameter spaces. Finally, we show how twoHiggs-doublet models can serve as a consistent ultraviolet completion of an assumed single Standard-Model-like Higgs boson with free couplings.

title: Dark sector spectroscopy at the ILC
abstract: Recent studies have shown that searches in the mono-photon and missing energy final state can be used to discover dark matter candidates at the ILC. While an excess in this final state over the Standard Model background would indicate the existence of a dark sector, no detailed information about the internal structure of this sector can be inferred. Here, we demonstrate how just a few observables can discriminate between various realisations of dark sectors, including e.g. the spin of mediators.

title: News from FormCalc and LoopTools
abstract: The FormCalc package automates the computation of FeynArts amplitudes up to one loop including the generation of a Fortran code for the numerical evaluation of the squared matrix element. Major new or enhanced features in Version 5 are: iterative build-up of essentially arbitrary phase-spaces including cuts, convolution with density functions, and uniform treatment of kinematical variables. The LoopTools library supplies the one-loop integrals necessary for evaluating the squared matrix element. Its most significant extensions in Version 2.2 are the five-point family of integrals, and complex and alternate versions.

title: Determination of Higgs-boson couplings (SFitter)
abstract: After the discovery of a Higgs boson, the next step is to measure its properties and test their accordance with the predictions of the Standard Model, in particular the couplings of the Higgs boson. In this talk we discuss what information the LHC will be able to give us over the coming years, and what remains as a task for a future Linear Collider. 
Using the well-established SFitter framework, we map measurements onto a weak-scale effective theory with general Higgs boson couplings. Our sophisticated error treatment allows us to take all theory and experimental errors, including arbitrary correlations, fully into account.