Ionization bias and the ghost proximity effect near z ≳ 6 quasars in the shadow of proximate absorption systems

Abstract

ABSTRACT The larger-than-expected scatter in the opacity of the Ly α forest suggests that the metagalactic ionizing background is strongly fluctuating at $z$ > 5.5. Models for ionizing background fluctuations predict a strong positive bias on large scales, so the environments of massive $\text{$\gt$} 10^{12}\, {\rm M}_\odot$ dark matter haloes, e.g. $z$ ∼ 6 quasar hosts, would be ideal laboratories to constrain the sources of ionizing photons. While the quasars themselves should overwhelm any plausible ionizing photon contribution from neighbouring galaxies, proximate damped Ly α absorbers (DLAs) have recently been discovered in the foreground of $z$ ∼ 6 quasars, and the Ly α forest in the shadow of these DLAs could probe the local ionization environment. Using Gpc3 simulations of $z$ = 6 ionizing background fluctuations, we show that while the Ly α forest signal from ionization bias around a quasar host halo should be strong, it is likely suppressed by the associated intergalactic matter overdensity. We also show that the quasar itself may still overwhelm the clustering signal via a ‘ghost’ of the proximity effect from the quasar radiation, causing a large-scale bias in the ionizing photon mean free path. This ghost proximity effect is sensitive to the lifetime and geometry of quasar emission, potentially unlocking a new avenue for constraining these fundamental quasar properties. Finally, we present observations of a $z$ ∼ 6 quasar with a proximate DLA, which shows a strong excess in Ly α forest transmission at the predicted location of the ghost proximity effect.