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We show that all coalgebras over the sphere spectrum are cocommutative in the category of symmetric spectra, orthogonal spectra, $\Gamma$-spaces, $\mathcal{W}$-spaces and EKMM $\mathbb{S}$-modules. Our result only applies to these strict monoidal categories of spectra and does not apply to the $\infty$-category setting., Comment: 14 pages. To appear in Homology, Homotopy and Applications

In these proceedings we describe the WEAVE-QSO survey, which will observe around 400,000 high redshift quasars starting in 2018. This survey is part of a broader WEAVE survey to be conducted at the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope. We will focus on chiefly on the science goals, but will also briefly summarise the target selection methods anticipated and the expected survey plan. Understanding the apparent acceleration in the expansion of the Universe is one of the key scientific challenges of our time. Many experiments have been proposed to study this expansion, using a variety of techniques. Here we describe a survey that can measure this acceleration and therefore help elucidate the nature of dark energy: a survey of the Lyman-alpha forest (and quasar absorption in general) in spectra towards z>2 quasars (QSOs). Further constraints on neutrino masses and warm dark matter are also anticipated. The same data will also shed light on galaxy formation via study of the properties of inflowing/outflowing gas associated with nearby galaxies and in a cosmic web context. Gas properties are sensitive to density, temperature, UV radiation, metallicity and abundance pattern, and so constraint galaxy formation in a variety of ways. WEAVE-QSO will study absorbers with a dynamic range spanning more than 8 orders of magnitude in column density, their thermal broadening, and a host of elements and ionization species. A core principal of the WEAVE-QSO survey is the targeting of QSOs with near 100% efficiency principally through use of the J-PAS (r < 23.2) and Gaia (r < 20) data., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, proceedings of the SF2A conference, Lyon, 2016

Gas flows in and out of galaxies are one of the key unknowns in todays' galaxy evolution studies. Because gas flows carry mass, energy and metals, they are believed to be closely connected to the star formation history of galaxies. Most of these processes take place in the circum-galactic medium (CGM) which remains challenging to observe in emission. A powerful tool to study the CGM gas is offered by combining observations of the gas traced by absorption lines in quasar spectra with detection of the stellar component of the same absorbing-galaxy. To this end, we have targeted the zabs=1.825 sub-Damped Ly-alpha absorber (sub-DLA) towards the zem=2.102 quasar 2dF J 223941.8-294955 (hereafter Q2239-2949) with the ESO VLT/X-Shooter spectrograph. Our aim is to investigate the relation between its properties in emission and in absorption. The derived metallicity of the sub-DLA with log N(HI) = 19.84+/-0.14 cm-2 is [M/H] >-0.75. Using the Voigt profile optical depth method, we measure Delta_v90(FeII)=64 kms-1. The sub-DLA galaxy counterpart is located at an impact parameter of 2."4+/-0."2 (20.8+/-1.7 kpc at z = 1.825). We have detected Ly-alpha and marginal [OII] emissions. The mean measured flux of the Ly-alpha line is F(Ly-alpha) ~ 5.7x10^-18 erg s-1 cm-2 A-1, corresponding to a dust uncorrected SFR of ~ 0.13 M(solar) yr-1., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, MNRAS accepted

We present new MUSE observations of quasar field Q2131-1207 with a log N(HI)=19.50+/-0.15 sub-DLA at z_abs=0.42980. We detect four galaxies at a redshift consistent with that of the absorber where only one was known before this study. Two of these are star forming galaxies, while the ones further away from the quasar (>140 kpc) are passive galaxies. We report the metallicities of the HII regions of the closest objects (12+log(O/H)=8.98+/-0.02 and 8.32+/-0.16) to be higher or equivalent within the errors to the metallicity measured in absorption in the neutral phase of the gas (8.15+/-0.20). For the closest object, a detailed morpho-kinematic analysis indicates that it is an inclined large rotating disk with V_max=200+/-3 km/s. We measure the masses to be M_dyn=7.4+/-0.4 x 10^10 M_sun and M_halo=2.9+/-0.2 x 10^12 M_sun. Some of the gas seen in absorption is likely to be co-rotating with the halo of that object, possibly due to a warped disk. The azimuthal angle between the quasar line of sight and the projected major axis of the galaxy on the sky is 12+/-1 degrees which indicates that some other fraction of the absorbing gas might be associated with accreting gas. This is further supported by the galaxy to gas metallicity difference. Based on the same arguments, we exclude outflows as a possibility to explain the gas in absorption. The four galaxies form a large structure (at least 200 kpc wide) consistent with a filament or a galaxy group so that a fraction of the absorption could be related to intra-group gas., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 14 pages, 12 figures

We present the study of a sample of nine QSO fields, with damped-Ly-alpha (DLA) or sub-DLA systems at z~0.6, observed with the X-Shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope. By suitably positioning the X-Shooter slit based on high spatial resolution images of HST/ACS we are able to detect absorbing galaxies in 7 out of 9 fields (~ 78\% success rate) at impact parameters from 10 to 30 kpc. In 5 out of 7 fields the absorbing galaxies are confirmed via detection of multiple emission lines at the redshift of DLAs where only 1 out of 5 also emits a faint continuum. In 2 out of these 5 fields we detect a second galaxy at the DLA redshift. Extinction corrected star formation rates (SFR) of these DLA-galaxies, estimated using their H-alpha fluxes, are in the range 0.3-6.7 M_sun yr^-1. The emission metallicities of these five DLA-galaxies are estimated to be from 0.2 to 0.9 Z_sun. Based on the Voigt profile fits to absorption lines we find the metallicity of the absorbing neutral gas to be in a range of 0.05--0.6 Z_sun. The two remaining DLA-galaxies are quiescent galaxies with SFR < 0.4 M_sun yr^-1 (3-sigma) presenting continuum emission but weak or no emission lines. Using X-Shooter spectrum we estimate i-band absolute magnitude of -19.5+/-0.2 for both these DLA-galaxies that indicates they are sub-L* galaxies. Comparing our results with that of other surveys in the literature we find a possible redshift evolution of the SFR of DLA-galaxies., Comment: MNRAS accepted

We present global VLBI observations of the 21-cm transition of atomic hydrogen seen in absorption against the radio source J0855+5751. The foreground absorber (SDSS~J085519.05+575140.7) is a dwarf galaxy at $z$ = 0.026. As the background source is heavily resolved by VLBI, the data allow us to map the properties of the foreground HI gas with a spatial resolution of 2pc. The absorbing gas corresponds to a single coherent structure with an extent $>$35pc, but we also detect significant and coherent variations, including a change in the HI optical depth by a factor of five across a distance of $\leq$6pc. The large size of the structure provides support for the Heiles & Troland model of the ISM, as well as its applicability to external galaxies. The large variations in HI optical depth also suggest that caution should be applied when interpreting $T_S$ measurements from radio-detected DLAs. In addition, the distorted appearance of the background radio source is indicative of a strong jet-cloud interaction in its host galaxy. We have measured its redshift ($z$ = 0.54186) using optical spectroscopy on the William Herschel Telescope and this confirms that J0855+5751 is a FRII radio source with a physical extent of $<$1kpc and supports the previous identification of this source as a Compact Symmetric Object. These sources often show absorption associated with the host galaxy and we suggest that both HI and OH should be searched for in J0855+5751., Comment: 14 pages and 10 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

MSE is an 11.25m aperture observatory with a 1.5 square degree field of view that will be fully dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy. More than 3200 fibres will feed spectrographs operating at low (R ~ 2000 - 3500) and moderate (R ~ 6000) spectral resolution, and approximately 1000 fibers will feed spectrographs operating at high (R ~ 40000) resolution. MSE is designed to enable transformational science in areas as diverse as tomographic mapping of the interstellar and intergalactic media; the in-situ chemical tagging of thick disk and halo stars; connecting galaxies to their large scale structure; measuring the mass functions of cold dark matter sub-halos in galaxy and cluster-scale hosts; reverberation mapping of supermassive black holes in quasars; next generation cosmological surveys using redshift space distortions and peculiar velocities. MSE is an essential follow-up facility to current and next generations of multi-wavelength imaging surveys, including LSST, Gaia, Euclid, WFIRST, PLATO, and the SKA, and is designed to complement and go beyond the science goals of other planned and current spectroscopic capabilities like VISTA/4MOST, WHT/WEAVE, AAT/HERMES and Subaru/PFS. It is an ideal feeder facility for E-ELT, TMT and GMT, and provides the missing link between wide field imaging and small field precision astronomy. MSE is optimized for high throughput, high signal-to-noise observations of the faintest sources in the Universe with high quality calibration and stability being ensured through the dedicated operational mode of the observatory. (abridged), Comment: 210 pages, 91 figures. Exposure draft. Appendices to the Detailed Science Case can be found at http://mse.cfht.hawaii.edu/docs/

Element abundances in high-redshift quasar absorbers offer excellent probes of the chemical enrichment of distant galaxies, and can constrain models for population III and early population II stars. Recent observations indicate that the sub-damped Lyman-alpha (sub-DLA) absorbers are more metal-rich than DLA absorbers at redshifts 0$<$$z$$<$3. It has also been suggested that the DLA metallicity drops suddenly at $z$$>$4.7. However, only 3 DLAs at $z$$>$4.5 and none at $z$$>$3.5 have "dust-free" metallicity measurements of undepleted elements. We report the first quasar sub-DLA metallicity measurement at $z$$>$3.5, from detections of undepleted elements in high-resolution data for a sub-DLA at $z$=5.0. We obtain fairly robust abundances of C, O, Si, and Fe, using lines outside the Lyman-alpha forest. This absorber is metal-poor, with O/H]=-2.00$\pm$0.12, which is $\gtrsim$4$\sigma$ below the level expected from extrapolation of the trend for $z$$<$3.5 sub-DLAs. The C/O ratio is 1.8$^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$ times lower than in the Sun. More strikingly, Si/O is 3.2$^{+0.6}_{-0.5}$ times lower than in the Sun, while Si/Fe is nearly (1.2$^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$ times) solar. This absorber does not display a clear alpha/Fe enhancement. Dust depletion may have removed more Si from the gas phase than is common in the Milky Way interstellar medium, which may be expected if high-redshift supernovae form more silicate-rich dust. C/O and Si/O vary substantially between different velocity components, indicating spatial variations in dust depletion and/or early stellar nucleosynethesis (e.g., population III star initial mass function). The higher velocity gas may trace an outflow enriched by early stars., Comment: 42 pages including 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The Circum-Galactic Medium (CGM) can be probed through the analysis of absorbing systems in the line-of-sight to bright background quasars. We present measurements of the metallicity of a new sample of 15 sub-damped Lyman-$\alpha$ absorbers (sub-DLAs, defined as absorbers with 19.0 < log N(H I) < 20.3) with redshift 0.584 < $\rm z_{abs}$ < 3.104 from the ESO Ultra-Violet Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) Advanced Data Products Quasar Sample (EUADP). We combine these results with other measurements from the literature to produce a compilation of metallicity measurements for 92 sub-DLAs as well as a sample of 362 DLAs. We apply a multi-element analysis to quantify the amount of dust in these two classes of systems. We find that either the element depletion patterns in these systems differ from the Galactic depletion patterns or they have a different nucleosynthetic history than our own Galaxy. We propose a new method to derive the velocity width of absorption profiles, using the modeled Voigt profile features. The correlation between the velocity width delta_V90 of the absorption profile and the metallicity is found to be tighter for DLAs than for sub-DLAs. We report hints of a bimodal distribution in the [Fe/H] metallicity of low redshift (z < 1.25) sub-DLAs, which is unseen at higher redshifts. This feature can be interpreted as a signature from the metal-poor, accreting gas and the metal-rich, outflowing gas, both being traced by sub-DLAs at low redshifts., Comment: 64 pages, 31 figures, 27 tables. Submitted to MNRAS

We use a background quasar to detect the presence of circum-galactic gas around a $z=0.91$ low-mass star forming galaxy. Data from the new Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the VLT show that the host galaxy has a dust-corrected star-formation rate (SFR) of 4.7$\pm$0.2 Msun/yr, with no companion down to 0.22 Msun/yr (5 $\sigma$) within 240 kpc (30"). Using a high-resolution spectrum (UVES) of the background quasar, which is fortuitously aligned with the galaxy major axis (with an azimuth angle $\alpha$ of only $15^\circ$), we find, in the gas kinematics traced by low-ionization lines, distinct signatures consistent with those expected for a "cold flow disk" extending at least 12 kpc ($3\times R_{1/2}$). We estimate the mass accretion rate $\dot M_{\rm in}$ to be at least two to three times larger than the SFR, using the geometric constraints from the IFU data and the HI column density of $\log N_{\rm HI} \simeq 20.4$ obtained from a {\it HST}/COS NUV spectrum. From a detailed analysis of the low-ionization lines (e.g. ZnII, CrII, TiII, MnII, SiII), the accreting material appears to be enriched to about 0.4 $Z_\odot$ (albeit with large uncertainties: $\log Z/Z_\odot=-0.4~\pm~0.4$), which is comparable to the galaxy metallicity ($12+\log \rm O/H=8.7\pm0.2$), implying a large recycling fraction from past outflows. Blue-shifted MgII and FeII absorptions in the galaxy spectrum from the MUSE data reveal the presence of an outflow. The MgII and FeII doublet ratios indicate emission infilling due to scattering processes, but the MUSE data do not show any signs of fluorescent FeII* emission., Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, in press (ApJ), minor edits after the proofs. Data available at http://muse-vlt.eu/science/j1422/

The use of background quasars provides a powerful tool to probe the cool gas in the circum-galactic medium of foreground galaxies. Here, we present new observations with SINFONI and X-Shooter of absorbing-galaxy candidates at z=0.7-1. We report the detection with both instruments of the H-alpha emission line of one sub-DLA at z_abs=0.94187 with log N(HI)=19.38^+0.10_-0.15 towards SDSS J002133.27+004300.9. We estimate the star formation rate: SFR=3.6+/-2.2 solar masses per year in that system. A detailed kinematic study indicates a dynamical mass M_dyn=10^9.9+/-0.4 solar masses and a halo mass M_halo=10^11.9+/-0.5 solar masses. In addition, we report the OII detection with X-Shooter of another DLA at z_abs=0.7402 with log N(HI)=20.4+/-0.1 toward Q0052+0041 and an estimated SFR of 5.3+/-0.7 solar masses per year. Three other objects are detected in the continuum with X-Shooter but the nature and redshift of two of these objects are unconstrained due to the absence of emission lines, while the third object might be at the redshift of the quasar. We use the objects detected in our whole N(HI)-selected SINFONI survey to compute the metallicity difference between the galaxy and the absorbing gas, delta_HI(X), where a positive (negative) value indicates infall (outflow). We compare this quantity with the quasar line of sight alignment with the galaxy's major (minor) axis, another tracer of infall (outflow). We find that these quantities do not correlate as expected from simple assumptions. Additional observations are necessary to relate these two independent probes of gas flows around galaxies., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We report Keck/ESI and VLT/UVES observations of three super-damped Lyman-alpha quasar absorbers with H I column densities log N(HI) >= 21.7 at redshifts z=2-2.5. All three absorbers show similar metallicities (-1.3 to -1.5 dex), and dust depletion of Fe, Ni, and Mn. Two of the absorbers show supersolar [S/Zn] and [Si/Zn]. We combine our results with those for other DLAs to examine trends between N(HI), metallicity, dust depletion. A larger fraction of the super-DLAs lie close to or above the line [X/H]=20.59-log N(HI) in the metallicity vs. N(HI) plot, compared to the less gas-rich DLAs, suggesting that super-DLAs are more likely to be rich in molecules. Unfortunately, our data for Q0230-0334 and Q0743+1421 do not cover H2 absorption lines. For Q1418+0718, some H2 lines are covered, but not detected. CO is not detected in any of our absorbers. For DLAs with log N(HI) < 21.7, we confirm strong correlation between metallicity and Fe depletion, and find a correlation between metallicity and Si depletion. For super-DLAs, these correlations are weaker or absent. The absorbers toward Q0230-0334 and Q1418+0718 show potential detections of weak Ly-alpha emission, implying star formation rates of about 1.6 and 0.7 solar masses per year, respectively (ignoring dust extinction). Upper limits on the electron densities from C II*/C II or Si II*/Si II are low, but are higher than the median values in less gas-rich DLAs. Finally, systems with log N(HI) > 21.7 may have somewhat narrower velocity dispersions delta v_90 than the less gas-rich DLAs, and may arise in cooler and/or less turbulent gas., Comment: 57 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Using the Low Dispersion Survey Spectrograph 3 at the Magellan II Clay Telescope, we target {candidate absorption host galaxies} detected in deep optical imaging {(reaching limiting apparent magnitudes of 23.0-26.5 in $g, r, i,$ and $z$ filters) in the fields of three QSOs, each of which shows the presence of high metallicity, high $N_{\rm HI}$ absorption systems in their spectra (Q0826-2230: $z_{abs}$=0.9110, Q1323-0021: $z_{abs}=0.7160$, Q1436-0051: $z_{abs}=0.7377, 0.9281$). We confirm three host galaxies {at redshifts 0.7387, 0.7401, and 0.9286} for two of the Lyman-$\alpha$ absorption systems (one with two galaxies interacting). For these systems, we are able to determine the star formation rates (SFRs); impact parameters (from previous imaging detections); the velocity shift between the absorption and emission redshifts; and, for one system, also the emission metallicity.} Based on previous photometry, we find these galaxies have L$>$L$^{\ast}$. The [O II] SFRs for these galaxies are in the range $11-25$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ {(uncorrected for dust)}, while the impact parameters lie in the range $35-54$ kpc. {Despite the fact that we have confirmed galaxies at 50 kpc from the QSO, no gradient in metallicity is indicated between the absorption metallicity along the QSO line of sight and the emission line metallicity in the galaxies.} We confirm the anti-correlation between impact parameter and $N_{\rm HI}$ from the literature. We also report the emission redshift of five other galaxies: three at $z_{em}>z_{QSO}$, and two (L$<$L$^{\ast}$) at $z_{em}

We present the results of a survey for intervening HI 21-cm absorbers at intermediate and low redshift (0180 K. A subset of our systems were also searched for OH absorption, but no detections were made., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 13 pages with 10 figures

Aims. We have searched for temporal variations of narrow absorption lines in high resolution quasar spectra. A sample of 5 distant sources have been assembled, for which 2 spectra - VLT/UVES or Keck/HIRES - taken several years apart are available. Methods. We first investigate under which conditions variations in absorption line profiles can be detected reliably from high resolution spectra, and discuss the implications of changes in terms of small-scale structure within the intervening gas or intrinsic origin. The targets selected allow us to investigate the time behavior of a broad variety of absorption line systems, sampling diverse environments: the vicinity of active nuclei, galaxy halos, molecular-rich galaxy disks associated with damped Lya systems, as well as neutral gas within our own Galaxy. Results. Absorption lines from MgII, FeII or proxy species with lines of lower opacity tracing the same kind of gas appear to be remarkably stable (1 sigma upper limits as low as 10 % for some components on scales in the range 10 - 100 au), even for systems at z_abs ~ z_e. Marginal variations are observed for MgII lines toward PKS 1229-021 at z_abs = 0.83032; however, we detect no systems displaying changes as large as those reported in low resolution SDSS spectra. In neutral or diffuse molecular media, clear changes are seen for Galactic NaI lines toward PKS 1229-02 (decrease of N by a factor of four for one of the five components over 9.7 yr), corresponding to structure at a scale of about 35 au, in good agreement with known properties of the Galactic interstellar medium. Tentative variations are detected for H2 J=3 lines toward FBQS J2340-0053 at z_abs =2.05454 (~35% change in column density), suggesting the existence of structure at the 10 au-scale for this warm gas. A marginal change is also seen in CI from another velocity component (~70% variation in N(CI))., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The physical properties of galactic winds are of paramount importance for our understanding of galaxy formation. Fortunately, they can be constrained using background quasars passing near star-forming galaxies (SFGs). From the 14 quasar$-$galaxy pairs in our VLT/SINFONI Mgii Program for Line Emitters (SIMPLE) sample, we reobserved the 10 brightest galaxies in H$_{\alpha}$ with the VLT/SINFONI with 0.7" seeing and the corresponding quasar with the VLT/UVES spectrograph. Applying geometrical arguments to these ten pairs, we find that four are likely probing galactic outflows, three are likely probing extended gaseous disks, and the remaining three are not classifiable because they are viewed face-on. In this paper we present a detailed comparison between the line-of-sight kinematics and the host galaxy emission kinematics for the pairs suitable for wind studies. We find that the kinematic profile shapes (asymmetries) can be well reproduced by a purely geometrical wind model with a constant wind speed, except for one pair (towards J2357$-$2736) that has the smallest impact parameter b = 6 kpc and requires an accelerated wind flow. Globally, the outflow speeds are $\sim$ 100 km/s and the mass ejection rates (or $\dot M _{\rm out}$) in the gas traced by the low-ionization species are similar to the star formation rate (SFR), meaning that the mass loading factor, $\eta$ = $\dot M _{\rm out}$/SFR, is $\sim$1.0. The outflow speeds are also smaller than the local escape velocity, which implies that the outflows do not escape the galaxy halo and are likely to fall back into the interstellar medium., Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures

We report observations of four sub-damped Lyman-alpha (sub-DLA) quasar absorbers at z<0.5 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. We measure the available neutrals or ions of C, N, O, Si, P, S, Ar, Mn, Fe, and/or Ni. Our data have doubled the sub-DLA metallicity samples at z<0.5 and improved constraints on sub-DLA chemical evolution. All four of our sub-DLAs are consistent with near-solar or super-solar metallicities and relatively modest ionization corrections; observations of more lines and detailed modeling will help to verify this. Combining our data with measurements from the literature, we confirm previous suggestions that the N(HI)-weighted mean metallicity of sub-DLAs exceeds that of DLAs at all redshifts studied, even after making ionization corrections for sub-DLAs. The absorber toward PHL 1598 shows significant dust depletion. The absorbers toward PHL 1226 and PKS 0439-433 show the S/P ratio consistent with solar, i.e., they lack a profound odd-even effect. The absorber toward Q0439-433 shows super-solar Mn/Fe. For several sub-DLAs at z<0.5, [N/S] is below the level expected for secondary N production, suggesting a delay in the release of the secondary N or a tertiary N production mechanism. We constrain the electron density using Si II* and C II* absorption. We also report different metallicity vs. Delta V_90 relations for sub-DLAs and DLAs. For two sub-DLAs with detections of emission lines from the underlying galaxies, our measurements of the absorption-line metallicities are consistent with the emission-line metallicities, suggesting that metallicity gradients are not significant in these galaxies., Comment: 77 pages, 13 figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Submitted (in the original form) May 26, 2014; accepted Apr. 15, 2015

This White Paper presents the scientific motivations for a multi-object spectrograph (MOS) on the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The MOS case draws on all fields of contemporary astronomy, from extra-solar planets, to the study of the halo of the Milky Way and its satellites, and from resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies out to observations of the earliest 'first-light' structures in the partially-reionised Universe. The material presented here results from thorough discussions within the community over the past four years, building on the past competitive studies to agree a common strategy toward realising a MOS capability on the E-ELT. The cases have been distilled to a set of common requirements which will be used to define the MOSAIC instrument, entailing two observational modes ('high multiplex' and 'high definition'). When combined with the unprecedented sensitivity of the E-ELT, MOSAIC will be the world's leading MOS facility. In analysing the requirements we also identify a high-multiplex MOS for the longer-term plans for the E-ELT, with an even greater multiplex (>1000 targets) to enable studies of large-scale structures in the high-redshift Universe. Following the green light for the construction of the E-ELT the MOS community, structured through the MOSAIC consortium, is eager to realise a MOS on the E-ELT as soon as possible. We argue that several of the most compelling cases for ELT science, in highly competitive areas of modern astronomy, demand such a capability. For example, MOS observations in the early stages of E-ELT operations will be essential for follow-up of sources identified by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In particular, multi-object adaptive optics and accurate sky subtraction with fibres have both recently been demonstrated on sky, making fast-track development of MOSAIC feasible., Comment: Significantly expanded and updated version of previous ELT-MOS White Paper, so there is some textual overlap with arXiv:1303.0029

In this work, we study argon abundances in the interstellar medium of high-redshift galaxies (23.5 are required to probe the final stages of this process of cosmic reionisation., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, 7 tables, MNRAS accepted

We report here a study of nitrogen and $\alpha$-capture element (O, S, and Si) abundances in 18 Damped Ly$\alpha$ Absorbers (DLAs) and sub-DLAs drawn from the ESO-UVES Advanced Data Products (EUADP) database. We report 9 new measurements, 5 upper and 4 lower limits of nitrogen that when compiled with available nitrogen measurements from the literature makes a sample of 108 systems. The extended sample presented here confirms the [N/$\alpha$] bimodal behaviour suggested in previous studies. Three-quarter of the systems show $\langle$[N/$\alpha$]$\rangle=-0.85$ ($\pm$0.20 dex) and one-quarter ratios are clustered at $\langle$[N/$\alpha$]$\rangle= -1.41$ ($\pm$0.14 dex). The high [N/$\alpha$] plateau is consistent with the HII regions of dwarf irregular and blue compact dwarf galaxies although extended to lower metallicities and could be interpreted as the result of a primary nitrogen production by intermediate mass stars. The low [N/$\alpha$] values are the lowest ever observed in any astrophysical site. In spite of this fact, even lower values could be measured with the present instrumentation, but we do not find them below [N/$\alpha$] $\approx$ $-1.7$. This suggests the presence of a floor in [N/$\alpha$] abundances, which along with the lockstep increase of N and Si may indicate a primary nitrogen production from fast rotating, massive stars in relatively young or unevolved systems., Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, 12 tables, MNRAS accepted

Nitrogen is thought to have both primary and secondary origins depending on whether the seed carbon and oxygen are produced by the star itself (primary) or already present in the interstellar medium (secondary) from which star forms. DLA and sub-DLA systems with typical metallicities of -3.0

The gas-phase and stellar metallicities have proven to be important parameters to constrain the star formation history of galaxies. However, HII regions associated with recent star-formation may not have abundances typical for the galaxy as a whole and it is believed that the bulk of the metals may be contained in the neutral gas. It is therefore important to directly probe the metal abundances in the neutral gas, which can be done by using absorption lines imprinted on a background quasar. Recently, we have presented studies of the stellar content of a small sample of such quasar absorbers with HI column densities measured to be in the sub-Damped Lyman-alpha to Damped Lyman-alpha range. Here, we present observations covering 300 nm to 2.5 microns of emission line spectra of three of these absorbing-galaxies using the long-slit spectrograph X-Shooter on the VLT. This allows us to compare the neutral and ionised phase metallicities in the same objects and relates these measures to possible signature of low-metallicity gas accretion or outflows of gas enriched by star formation. Our results suggest that the abundances derived in absorption along the line-of-sight to background quasars are reliable measures of the overall galaxy metallicities. In addition to a comparison of abundances in different phases of the gas, a potential observational consequence of differences in fueling mechanisms for disc galaxies is the internal distribution of their chemical abundances. We present some evidence for small negative metallicity gradients in the three systems. The flat slopes are in line with the differences observed between the two phases of the gas. These results suggest that a comparison of the HI and HII metallicities is a robust indicator of abundance gradients in high-redshift galaxies and do not favour the presence of infall of fresh gas in these objects., Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) of typical galaxies is crucial to our understanding of the cycling of gas into, through and out of galaxies. One way to probe the CGM is to study gas around galaxies detected via the absorption lines they produce in the spectra of background quasars. Here, we present medium resolution and new ~0.4-arcsec resolution (~3 kpc at z~1) 3D observations with VLT/SINFONI of galaxies responsible for high-N(HI) quasar absorbers. These data allow to determine in details the kinematics of the objects: the four z~1 objects are found to be rotation-supported as expected from inclined discs, while the fifth z~2 system is dispersion-dominated. Two of the systems show sign of interactions and merging. In addition, we use several indicators (star formation per unit area, a comparison of emission and absorption kinematics, arguments based on the inclination and the orientation of the absorber to the quasar line-of-sight and the distribution of metals) to determine the direction of the gas flows in and out of these galaxies. In some cases, our observations are consistent with the gas seen in absorption being due to material co-rotating with their halos. In the case of absorbing-galaxies towards Q1009-0026 and Q2222-0946, these indicators point toward the presence of an outflow traced in absorption., Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present chemical abundance measurements from high-resolution observations of 5 sub-damped Lyman-alpha absorbers at 1.7 < z < 2.4 observed with the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle (MIKE) spectrograph on the 6.5-m Magellan II Clay telescope. Lines of Zn II, Mg I, Mg II, Al II, Al III, S II, Si II, Si IV, C II, C II*, C IV, Ni II, Mn II and Fe II were detected and column densities were determined. The metallicity of the absorbing gas, inferred from the nearly undepleted element Zn, is in the range of < -0.95 to +0.25 dex for the five absorbers in our sample, with three of the systems being near-solar or super-solar. We also investigate the effect of ionisation on the observed abundances using photoionisation modelling. Combining our data with other sub-DLA and DLA data from the literature, we report the most complete existing determination of the metallicity vs. redshift relation for sub-DLAs and DLAs. We confirm the suggestion from previous investigations that sub-DLAs are, on average, more metal-rich than DLAs and evolve faster. We also discuss relative abundances and abundance ratios in these absorbers. The more metal-rich systems show significant dust depletion levels, as suggested by the ratios [Zn/Cr] and [Zn/Fe]. For the majority of the systems in our sample, the [Mn/Fe] vs. [Zn/H] trend is consistent with that seen previously for lower-redshift sub-DLAs. We also measure the velocity width values for the sub-DLAs in our sample from unsaturated absorption lines of Fe II 2344, 2374, 2600 A, and examine where these systems lie in a plot of metallicity vs. velocity dispersion. Finally, we examine cooling rate vs. H I column density in these sub-DLAs, and compare this with the data from DLAs and the Milky Way ISM. We find that most of the systems in our sample show higher cooling rate values compared to those seen in the DLAs., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of The Royal Astronomical Society

We present here a dataset of quasars observed with the Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the VLT and available in the ESO UVES Advanced Data Products archive. The sample is made up of a total of 250 high resolution quasar spectra with emission redshifts ranging from 0.191 < z_em <6.311. The total UVES exposure time of this dataset is 1560 hours. Thanks to the high resolution of UVES spectra, it is possible to unambiguously measure the column density of absorbers with damping wings, down to N_HI > 10^{19} cm^{-2}, which constitutes the sub-damped Lya absorber (sub-DLA) threshold. Within the wavelength coverage of our UVES data, we find 150 damped Lya systems (DLAs)/sub-DLAs in the range 1.5 < z_abs < 4.7. Of these 150, 93 are DLAs and 57 are sub-DLAs. An extensive search in the literature indicates that 6 of these DLAs and 13 of these sub-DLAs have their N_HI measured for the first time. Among them, 10 are new identifications as DLAs/sub-DLAs. For each of these systems, we obtain an accurate measurement of the HI column density and the absorber's redshift in the range 1.7 < z_abs < 4.2 by implementing a Voigt profile-fitting algorithm. These absorbers are further confirmed thanks to the detection of associated metal lines and/or lines from members of the Lyman series. In our data, a few quasars' lines-of-sight are rich. An interesting example is towards QSO J0133+0400 (z_em = 4.154) with six DLAs and sub-DLAs reported., Comment: 16 pages, 24 figures, 3 tables

Quasar foreground damped absorbers, associated with HI-rich galaxies allow to estimate the neutral gas mass over cosmic time, which is a possible indicator of gas consumption as star formation proceeds. The DLAs and sub-DLAs are believed to contain a large fraction of neutral gas mass in the Universe. In Paper I of the series, we present the results of a search for DLAs and sub-DLAs in the ESO-UVES Advanced Data Products dataset of 250 quasars. Here we use an unbiased sub-sample of sub-DLAs from this dataset. We build a subset of 122 quasars ranging from 1.5

The growth of luminous structures and the building blocks of life in the Universe began as primordial gas was processed in stars and mixed at galactic scales. The mechanisms responsible for this development are not well understood and have changed over the intervening 13 billion years. To follow the evolution of matter over cosmic time, it is necessary to study the strongest (resonance) transitions of the most abundant species in the Universe. Most of them are in the ultraviolet (UV; 950A-3000A) spectral range that is unobservable from the ground. A versatile space observatory with UV sensitivity a factor of 50-100 greater than existing facilities will revolutionize our understanding of the Universe. Habitable planets grow in protostellar discs under ultraviolet irradiation, a by-product of the star-disk interaction that drives the physical and chemical evolution of discs and young planetary systems. The electronic transitions of the most abundant molecules are pumped by the UV field, providing unique diagnostics of the planet-forming environment that cannot be accessed from the ground. Earth's atmosphere is in constant interaction with the interplanetary medium and the solar UV radiation field. A 50-100 times improvement in sensitivity would enable the observation of the key atmospheric ingredients of Earth-like exoplanets (carbon, oxygen, ozone), provide crucial input for models of biologically active worlds outside the solar system, and provide the phenomenological baseline to understand the Earth atmosphere in context. In this white paper, we outline the key science that such a facility would make possible and outline the instrumentation to be implemented., Comment: White paper submitted to the European Space Agency Call for definition of the L2 and L3 missions in the ESA science (http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=51454)

Galaxies are thought to be fed by the continuous accretion of intergalactic gas, but direct observational evidence has been elusive. The accreted gas is expected to orbit about the galaxy's halo, delivering not just fuel for star-formation but also angular momentum to the galaxy, leading to distinct kinematic signatures. Here we report observations showing these distinct signatures near a typical distant star-forming galaxy where the gas is detected using a background quasar passing 26 kpc from the host. Our observations indicate that gas accretion plays a major role in galaxy growth since the estimated accretion rate is comparable to the star-formation rate., Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, version matching the proofed text

We present a detailed study of the emission from a z = 2.35 galaxy that causes damped Lyman-alpha absorption in the spectrum of the background QSO, SDSS J 2222-0946. We present the results of extensive analyses of the stellar continuum covering the rest frame optical-UV regime based on broad-band HST imaging, and of spectroscopy from VLT/X-Shooter of the strong emission lines: Ly-alpha, [OII], [OIII], [NII], H-alpha and H-beta. We compare the metallicity from the absorption lines in the QSO spectrum with the oxygen abundance inferred from the strong-line methods (R23 and N2). The two emission-line methods yield consistent results: [O/H] = -0.30+/-0.13. Based on the absorption lines in the QSO spectrum a metallicity of -0.49+/-0.05 is inferred at an impact parameter of 6.3 kpc from the centre of the galaxy with a column density of hydrogen of log(N_HI)=20.65+/-0.05. The star formation rates of the galaxy from the UV continuum and H-alpha line can be reconciled assuming an amount of reddening of E(B-V) = 0.06+/-0.01, giving an inferred SFR of 13+/-1 M_sun / yr (assuming a Chabrier IMF). From the HST imaging, the galaxy associated with the absorption is found to be a compact (re=1.12 kpc) object with a disc-like, elongated (axis ratio 0.17) structure indicating that the galaxy is seen close to edge on. Moreover, the absorbing gas is located almost perpendicularly above the disc of the galaxy suggesting that the gas causing the absorption is not co-rotating with the disc. We investigate the stellar and dynamical masses from SED-fitting and emission-line widths, respectively, and find consistent results of 2x10^9 M_sun. We suggest that the galaxy is a young proto-disc with evidence for a galactic outflow of enriched gas. This galaxy hints at how star-forming galaxies may be linked to the elusive population of damped Lyman-alpha absorbers., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

The results of a large area, ~600 deg^2, K-band flux-limited spectroscopic survey for luminous quasars are presented. The survey utilises the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS) in regions of sky within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) footprint. The K-band excess (KX) of all quasars with respect to Galactic stars is exploited in combination with a photometric redshift/classification scheme to identify quasar candidates for spectroscopic follow-up observations. The data contained within this investigation will be able to provide new constraints on the fraction of luminous quasars reddened by dust with E(B-V)<=0.5 mag. The spectroscopic sample is defined using the K-band, 14.0<=K<=16.6, and SDSS i-band limits of i=19.5, 19.7 and 22.0 over sky areas of 287, 150 and 196 deg^2, respectively. The survey includes >3200 known quasars from the SDSS and more than 250 additional confirmed quasars from the KX-selection. A well-defined sub-sample of quasars in the redshift interval 1.0<=z<=3.5 includes 1152 objects from the SDSS and 172 additional KX-selected quasars. The quasar selection is >95 per cent complete with respect to known SDSS quasars and >95 per cent efficient, largely independent of redshift and i-band magnitude. The properties of the new KX-selected quasars confirm the known redshift-dependent effectiveness of the SDSS quasar selection and provide a sample of luminous quasars experiencing intermediate levels of extinction by dust. The catalogue represents an important step towards the assembly of a well-defined sample of luminous quasars that may be used to investigate the properties of quasars experiencing intermediate levels of dust extinction within their host galaxies or due intervening absorption line systems., Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Resolution of Figures 2 and 5 have been reduced for submission. Tables 4 and 6 are available with the online version

We report the discovery of a "super-damped" Lyman-alpha absorber at $z_{abs}=2.2068$ toward QSO Q1135-0010 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and follow-up VLT UVES spectroscopy. Voigt profile fit to the DLA line indicates log $N_{\rm H I} = 22.05 \pm 0.1$. This is the second QSO DLA discovered to date with such high $N_{\rm H I}$. We derive element abundances [Si/H] = $-1.10 \pm 0.10$, [Zn/H] = $-1.06 \pm 0.10$, [Cr/H] = $-1.55 \pm 0.10$, [Ni/H] = $-1.60 \pm 0.10$, [Fe/H] = $-1.76 \pm 0.10$, [Ti/H] = $-1.69 \pm 0.11$, [P/H] = $-0.93 \pm 0.23$, and [Cu/H] = $-0.75 \pm 0.14$. Our data indicate detection of Ly-$\alpha$ emission in the DLA trough, implying a star formation rate of $\sim$10 $M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ in the absence of dust attenuation. C II$^{*} \, \lambda 1336$ absorption is also detected, suggesting SFR surface density $-2 < {\rm log} \, \dot{\psi_{*}} < 0$ $M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-2}$. We estimate electron density in the range $3.5 \times 10^{-4}$ to 24.7 cm$^{-3}$ from C II$^{*}$/C II, and $\sim$0.5-0.9 cm$^{-3}$ from Si II$^{*}$/Si II. Overall, this is a robustly star-forming, moderately enriched absorber, but with relatively low dust depletion. Fitting of the SDSS spectrum yields low reddening for Milky Way, LMC, or SMC extinction curves. No CO absorption is detected, and C I absorption is weak. The low dust and molecular content, reminiscent of some SMC sight-lines, may result from the lower metallicity, and a stronger radiation field (due to higher SFR). Finally, we compare this absorber with other QSO and GRB DLAs., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Submitted Dec. 10, 2011; accepted Feb. 19, 2012

We present for the first time predictions for UV line emission of intergalactic and circumgalactic gas from Adaptive Mesh Resolution (AMR) Large Scale Structure (LSS) simulations at redshifts 0.3

X-shooter is the first 2nd generation instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope(VLT). It is a very efficient, single-target, intermediate-resolution spectrograph that was installed at the Cassegrain focus of UT2 in 2009. The instrument covers, in a single exposure, the spectral range from 300 to 2500 nm. It is designed to maximize the sensitivity in this spectral range through dichroic splitting in three arms with optimized optics, coatings, dispersive elements and detectors. It operates at intermediate spectral resolution (R~4,000 - 17,000, depending on wavelength and slit width) with fixed echelle spectral format (prism cross-dispersers) in the three arms. It includes a 1.8"x4" Integral Field Unit as an alternative to the 11" long slits. A dedicated data reduction package delivers fully calibrated two-dimensional and extracted spectra over the full wavelength range. We describe the main characteristics of the instrument and present its performance as measured during commissioning, science verification and the first months of science operations., Comment: accepted for publication in A&A

We report three additional SINFONI detections of H-alpha emission line from quasar absorbers, two of which are new identifications. These were targeted among a sample of systems with log N(HI)>19.0 and metallicities measured from high-resolution spectroscopy. The detected galaxies are at impact parameters ranging from 6 to 12 kpc from the quasar's line-of-sight. We derive star formation rates (SFR) of a few solar masses per year for the two absorbers at z_abs~1 and SFR=17 solar masses per year for the DLA at z_abs~2. These three detections are found among a sample of 16 DLAs and sub-DLAs (5 at z_abs~1 and 7 at z_abs~2). For the remaining undetected galaxies, we derive flux limits corresponding to SFR<0.1--11.0 solar masses per year depending on redshift of the absorber and depth of the data. When combined with previous results from our survey for galaxy counterparts to HI-selected absorbers, we find a higher probability of detecting systems with higher metallicity as traced by dust-free [Zn/H] metallicity. We also report a higher detection rate with SINFONI for host galaxies at z_abs~1 than for systems at z_abs~2. Using the NII/H-alpha ratio, we can thus compare absorption and emission metallicities in the same high-redshift objects, more than doubling the number of systems for which such measures are possible., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

[Abridged] In order to understand which process (e.g. galactic winds, cold accretion) is responsible for the cool (T~10^4 K) halo gas around galaxies, we embarked on a program to study the star-formation properties of galaxies selected by their MgII absorption signature in quasar spectra. Specifically, we searched for the H-alpha line emission from galaxies near very strong z=2 MgII absorbers (with rest-frame equivalent width EW>2 \AA) because these could be the sign-posts of outflows or inflows. Surprisingly, we detect H-alpha from only 4 hosts out of 20 sight-lines (and 2 out of the 19 HI-selected sight-lines), despite reaching a star-formation rate (SFR) sensitivity limit of 2.9 M/yr (5-sigma) for a Chabrier initial mass function. This low success rate is in contrast with our z=1 survey where we detected 66%\ (14/21) of the MgII hosts. Taking into account the difference in sensitivity between the two surveys, we should have been able to detect >11.4 of the 20 z=2 hosts whereas we found only 4 galaxies. Interestingly, all the z=2 detected hosts have observed SFR greater than 9 M/yr, well above our sensitivity limit, while at z=1 they all have SFR less than 9 M/yr, an evolution that is in good agreement with the evolution of the SFR main sequence. Moreover, we show that the z=2 undetected hosts are not hidden under the quasar continuum after stacking our data and that they also cannot be outside our surveyed area. Hence, strong MgII absorbers could trace star-formation driven winds in low-mass halos (Mhalo < 10^{10.6} Msun). Alternatively, our results imply that z=2 galaxies traced by strong MgII absorbers do not form stars at a rate expected (3--10 M/yr) for their (halo or stellar) masses, supporting the existence of a transition in accretion efficiency at Mhalo ~ 10^{11} Msun. This scenario can explain both the detections and the non-detections., Comment: 14 pages, 4 fig.; MNRAS in press, minor corrections to match proofs

BigBOSS is a Stage IV ground-based dark energy experiment to study baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the growth of structure with a wide-area galaxy and quasar redshift survey over 14,000 square degrees. It has been conditionally accepted by NOAO in response to a call for major new instrumentation and a high-impact science program for the 4-m Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak. The BigBOSS instrument is a robotically-actuated, fiber-fed spectrograph capable of taking 5000 simultaneous spectra over a wavelength range from 340 nm to 1060 nm, with a resolution R = 3000-4800. Using data from imaging surveys that are already underway, spectroscopic targets are selected that trace the underlying dark matter distribution. In particular, targets include luminous red galaxies (LRGs) up to z = 1.0, extending the BOSS LRG survey in both redshift and survey area. To probe the universe out to even higher redshift, BigBOSS will target bright [OII] emission line galaxies (ELGs) up to z = 1.7. In total, 20 million galaxy redshifts are obtained to measure the BAO feature, trace the matter power spectrum at smaller scales, and detect redshift space distortions. BigBOSS will provide additional constraints on early dark energy and on the curvature of the universe by measuring the Ly-alpha forest in the spectra of over 600,000 2.2 < z < 3.5 quasars. BigBOSS galaxy BAO measurements combined with an analysis of the broadband power, including the Ly-alpha forest in BigBOSS quasar spectra, achieves a FOM of 395 with Planck plus Stage III priors. This FOM is based on conservative assumptions for the analysis of broad band power (kmax = 0.15), and could grow to over 600 if current work allows us to push the analysis to higher wave numbers (kmax = 0.3). BigBOSS will also place constraints on theories of modified gravity and inflation, and will measure the sum of neutrino masses to 0.024 eV accuracy., Comment: This report is based on the BigBOSS proposal submission to NOAO in October 2010, and reflects the project status at that time with minor updates

We present deep ground based imaging of the environments of five QSOs that contain sub-Damped Lyman-alpha systems at z<1 with the SOAR telescope and SOI camera. We detect a clear surplus of galaxies in these small fields, supporting the assumption that we are detecting the galaxies responsible for the absorption systems. Assuming these galaxies are at the redshift of the absorption line systems, we detect luminous L>L* galaxies for four of the five fields within 10" of the QSO. In contrast to previous imaging surveys of DLA systems at these redshifts, which indicate a range of morphological types and luminosities for the host galaxies of the systems, the galaxies we detect in these sub-DLA fields appear to be luminous (L>L*). In the case of the absorber towards Q1009-0026 at z=0.8866 we have spectroscopic confirmation that the candidate galaxy is at the redshift of the absorber, at an impact parameter of ~35 kpc with a luminosity of 3 < L/L* < 8 depending on the magnitude of the K-correction. These observations are in concordance with the view that sub-DLAs may be more representative of massive galaxies than DLA systems. The environments of the absorbers span a range of types, from the inner disk of a galaxy, the periphery of a luminous galaxy, and the outskirts of interacting galaxies. The large impact parameters to some of the candidate galaxies suggest that galactic outflows or tidal tails are likely responsible for the material seen in absorption. We find a weak correlation between N(HI) and the impact parameter at the 2 sigma level, which may be expected from the heterogeneous population of galaxies hosting the absorption line systems and random orientation angles. In addition, we detect a possible gravitationally lensed image of the BL-Lac object Q0826-2230., Comment: 11 pages, 4 Figures, Accepted for Publication in MNRAS

Details of processes through which galaxies convert their gas into stars need to be studied in order to obtain a complete picture of galaxy formation. One way to tackle these phenomena is to relate the HI gas and the stars in galaxies. Here, we present dynamical properties of Damped and sub-Damped Lyman-alpha Systems identified in H-alpha emission with VLT/SINFONI at near infra-red wavelengths. While the DLA towards Q0302-223 is found to be dispersion-dominated, the sub-DLA towards Q1009-0026 shows clear signatures of rotation. We use a proxy to circular velocity to estimate the mass of the halo in which the sub-DLA resides and find M_halo=10^12.6 M_sun. We also derive dynamical masses of these objects, and find M_dyn=10^10.3 M_sun and 10^10.9 M_sun. For one of the two systems (towards Q0302-223), we are able to derive a stellar mass of M_*=10^9.5 M_sun from Spectral Energy Distribution fit. The gas fraction in this object is 1/3rd, comparable to similar objects at these redshifts. Our work illustrates that detailed studies of quasar absorbers can offer entirely new insights into our knowledge of the interaction between stars and the interstellar gas in galaxies., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Detailed studies of Damped and sub-Damped Lyman-alpha systems (DLA), the galaxies probed by the absorption they produce in the spectra of background quasars, rely on identifying the galaxy responsible for the absorber with more traditional methods. Integral field spectroscopy provides an efficient way of detecting faint galaxies near bright quasars, further providing immediate redshift confirmation. Here, we report the detection of H-alpha emission from a DLA and a sub-DLA galaxy among a sample of 6 intervening quasar absorbers targeted. We derive F(H-alpha)=7.7+/-2.7*10^-17 erg/s/cm^2 (SFR=1.8+/-0.6 M_sun/yr) at impact parameter b=25 kpc towards quasar Q0302-223 for the DLA at z_abs=1.009 and F(H-alpha)=17.1+/-6.0*10^-17 erg/s/cm^2 (SFR=2.9+/-1.0 M_sun/yr) at b=39 kpc towards Q1009-0026 for the sub-DLA at z_abs=0.887. These results are in line with low star formation rates previously reported in the literature for quasar absorbers. We use the NII 6585/H-alpha ratio to derive the HII emission metallicities and compare them with the neutral gas H I absorption metallicities derived from high-resolution spectra. In one case, the absorption metallicity is actually found to be higher than the emission line metallicity. For the remaining objects, we achieve 3-sigma limiting fluxes of the order F(H-alpha)~10^-17 erg/s/cm^2 (corresponding to SFR~ 0.1 M_sun/yr at z~1 and ~1 M_sun/yr at z~2), i.e. among the lowest that have been possible with ground-based observations. We also present two other galaxies associated with C IV systems and serendipitously discovered in our data., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We have measured redshifts for 243 z ~3 quasars in nine VLT VIMOS LBG redshift survey areas, each of which is centred on a known bright quasar. Using spectra of these quasars, we measure the cross-correlation between neutral hydrogen gas causing the Lya forest and 1020 Lyman-break galaxies at z ~3. We find an increase in neutral hydrogen absorption within 5 h^-1 Mpc of a galaxy in agreement with the results of Adelberger et al. (2003, 2005). The Lya-LBG cross-correlation can be described by a power-law on scales larger than 3 h^-1 Mpc. When galaxy velocity dispersions are taken into account our results at smaller scales (<2 h^-1 Mpc) are also in good agreement with the results of Adelberger et al. (2005). There is little immediate indication of a region with a transmission spike above the mean IGM value which might indicate the presence of star-formation feedback. To measure the galaxy velocity dispersions, which include both intrinsic LBG velocity dispersion and redshift errors, we have used the LBG-LBG redshift space distortion measurements of Bielby et al. (2010). We find that the redshift-space transmission spike implied in the results of Adelberger et al. (2003) is too narrow to be physical in the presence of the likely LBG velocity dispersion and is likely to be a statistical fluke. Nevertheless, neither our nor previous data can rule out the presence of a narrow, real-space transmission spike, given the evidence of the increased Lya absorption surrounding LBGs which can mask the spike's presence when convolved with a realistic LBG velocity dispersion. Finally, we identify 176 CIV systems in the quasar spectra and find an LBG-CIV correlation strength on scales of 10 h^-1 Mpc consistent with the relation measured at ~Mpc scales., Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures, accepted by MNRAS