Forecasting constraints on the mean free path of ionizing photons at $z\ge 5.4$ from the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest flux auto-correlation function

Molly Wolfson, Joseph F. Hennawi, Frederick B. Davies +1

Fluctuations in Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) forest transmission towards high-$z$ quasars are partially sourced from spatial fluctuations in the ultraviolet background (UVB), the level of whi…