Evolution of neutral gas at high redshift: implications for the epoch of galaxy formation

Although observationally rare, damped Lyα absorption systems dominate the mass density of neutral gas in the Universe. 11 high-redshift damped Lyα systems covering 2.8 ≤z ≤ 4.4 were discovered in 26 QSOs from the APM z > 4 QSO survey, extending these absorption system surveys to the highest redshifts currently possible. Combining our new data set with previous surveys, we find that the cosmological mass density in neutral gas, Ωg, does not rise as steeply prior to z ∼ 2 as indicated by previous studies. There is evidence in the observed Ωg for a flattening at z ∼ 2 and a possible turnover at z ∼ 3. When combined with the decline at z > 3.5 in number density per unit redshift of damped systems with column densities log NHI ≥ 21 atom cm^(−2), these results point to an epoch at z ≳ 3 prior to which the highest column density damped systems are still forming. We find that, over the redshift range 2 < z < 4, the total mass in neutral gas is marginally comparable to the total visible mass in stars in present-day galaxies. However, if one considers the total mass visible in stellar discs alone, i.e. excluding galactic bulges, the two values are comparable. We are observing a mass of neutral gas that is comparable to the mass of visible disc stars. Lanzetta, Wolfe & Turnshek found that Ω(z ≈ 3.5) was twice Ω(z ≈ 2), implying that a much larger amount of star formation must have taken place between z = 3.5 and 2 than is indicated by metallicity studies. This created a ‘cosmic G-dwarf problem’. The more gradual evolution of Ωg that we find alleviates this. These results have profound implications for theories of galaxy formation.