2021MNRAS.508.1701D

We use Swift blazar spectra to estimate the key intergalactic medium (IGM) properties of hydrogen column density (N HXIGM), metallicity, and temperature over a redshift range of 0.03 <= z <= 4.7, using a collisional ionization equilibrium model for the ionized plasma. We adopted a conservative approach to the blazar continuum model given its intrinsic variability and use a range of power-law models. We subjected our results to a number of tests and found that the N HXIGM parameter was robust with respect to individual exposure data and co-added spectra for each source, and between Swift and XMM-Newton source data. We also found no relation between N HXIGM and variations in source flux or intrinsic power laws. Though some objects may have a bulk Comptonization component that could mimic absorption, it did not alter our overall results. The N HXIGM from the combined blazar sample scales as (1 + z)^1.8 ± 0.2^. The mean hydrogen density at z = 0 is n₀ = (3.2 ± 0.5) x 10^–7 cm^–3. The mean IGM temperature over the full redshift range is log(T/K) =6.1 ± 0.1, and the mean metallicity is [X/H] = -1.62 ± 0.04(Z ∼ 0.02). When combining with the results with a gamma-ray burst (GRB) sample, we find the results are consistent over an extended redshift range of 0.03 <= z <= 6.3. Using our model for blazars and GRBs, we conclude that the IGM contributes substantially to the total absorption seen in both blazar and GRB spectra.