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We briefly review the use of UV absorption lines in the spectra of low-redshift QSOs for the study of the physical conditions, metallicity, and baryonic content of the low-z IGM, with emphasis on the missing baryons problem. Current results on the statistics and baryonic content of intervening, low-z O VI and Lya absorption-line systems are presented with some comments on overlap between these two classes of absorbers and consequent baryon double-counting problems. From observations of a sample of 16 QSOs observed with the E140M echelle mode of STIS, we find 44 intervening O VI absorbers and 14 associated O VI systems [i.e, z(abs) ~ z(QSO)]. The implied number of intervening O VI absorbers per unit redshift is dN/dz(O VI) = 23+/-4 for rest equivalent width > 30 mA. The intervening O VI systems contain at least 7% of the baryons if their typical metallicity is 1/10 solar and the O VI ion fraction is <0.2. This finding is consistent with predictions made by cosmological simulations of large-scale structure growth. Recently, a population of remarkably broad Lya lines have been recognized in low-z quasar spectra. If these Lya lines are predominantly thermally broadened, then these H I absorbers likely harbor an important fraction of the baryons. We present and discuss some examples of the broad Lya absorbers. Finally, we briefly summarize some findings on the relationships between O VI absorbers and nearby galaxies/large-scale structures.
At low redshift (z<2), almost half of the baryons in the Universe are not found in bound structures like galaxies and clusters and therefore most likely reside in a Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM), as predicted by simulations. Attempts to detect
It has been known for decades that the observed number of baryons in the local universe falls about 30-40% short of the total number of baryons predicted by Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis, as inferred from density fluctuations of the Cosmic Microwave Backg
We discuss physical properties and the baryonic content of the Warm-hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) at low redshifts. Cosmological simulations predict that the WHIM contains a large fraction of the baryons at z=0 in the form of highly-ionized gas at
The backbone of the large-scale structure of the Universe is determined by processes on a cosmological scale and by the gravitational interaction of the dominant dark matter. However, the mobile baryon population shapes the appearance of these struct
Recent Cosmological measurements indicate that baryons comprise about four percent of the total mass-energy density of the Universe, which is in accord with the predictions arising from studies of the production of the lightest elements. It also is i