A time history diagnostic plot showing the evolution of oxygen states (top panel) for the photo-ionisation equilibrium (PIE) case starting at T=106 K at t=0 for nH=10-4 cm-3, solar enriched gas under a z=1 Haardt & Madau (2001) background. The middle panel shows timescales including the recombination timescales of various oxygen ions (in colour), the cooling timescale, and the dynamical timescale. The bottom shows the temperature history. The PIE (isochoric) case asymptotes to a T~104 K equilibrium temperature where O IV is the dominant species. This figure is meant to be compared and contrasted with the adjacent four figures here on the website.

Back to Main Page