On the (Non)Evolution of HI Disks over Cosmic Time

Abstract

We present new results on the frequency distribution of projected HI column densities f(N,X), total comoving covering fraction, and integrated mass densities rho_HI of high redshift, HI `disks' from a survey of damped Lya systems (DLAs) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Data Release 5. For the full sample spanning z=2.2 to 5 [738 DLAs], f(N,X) is well fitted by a double power-law with a break column density N_d = 10^(21.55 +/- 0.04) and low/high-end exponents alpha = -2.00 +/- 0.05, -6.4^{+1.1}_{-1.6}. The shape of f(N,X) is invariant during this redshift interval and also follows the projected surface density distribution of present-day HI disks as inferred from 21cm observations. We conclude that HI gas has been distributed in a self-similar fashion for the past 12Gyr. The normalization of f(N,X), in contrast, decreases by a factor of two during the ~2Gyr interval from z=4 to 2.2 giving corresponding decreases in both the total covering fraction and rho_HI. At z~2, these quantities match the present-day values suggesting no evolution during the past ~10Gyr. We argue that the evolution at early times is driven by `violent' processes that removes gas from nearly half the galaxies at z~3 establishing the antecedants of current early-type galaxies. The perceived constancy of rho_HI, meanwhile, implies that HI gas is a necessary but insufficient pre-condition for star formation and that the global star-formation rate is driven by the accretion and condensation of fresh gas from the intergalactic medium.