A first direct measurement of the intergalactic medium temperature
  around a quasar at z=6
  The thermal state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) provides an indirect
probe of both the HI and HeII reionisation epochs. Current constraints on the
IGM temperature from the Lya forest are restricted to the redshift range
2<z<4.5, limiting the ability to probe the thermal memory of HI reionisation
toward higher redshift. In this work, we present the first direct measurement
of the IGM temperature around a z=6 quasar by analysing the Doppler widths of
Lya absorption lines in the proximity zone of SDSS J0818+1722. We use a high
resolution (R= 40000) Keck/HIRES spectrum in combination with detailed
numerical modelling to obtain the temperature at mean density,
T_0=23600\pm^5000_6900K (\pm^9200_9300K) at 68 (95) per cent confidence
assuming a prior probability 13500K<T_0<38500 K following HI and HeII
reionisation. This enables us to place an upper limit on the redshift of HI
reionisation, z_H, within 33 comoving Mpc of SDSS J0818+1722. If the quasar
reionises the HeII in its vicinity, then in the limit of instantaneous
reionisation we infer z_H<9.0 (11.0) at 68 (95) per cent confidence assuming
photoheating is the dominant heat source and that HI reionisation is driven by
ionising sources with soft spectra, typical of population II stars. If the HI
and HeII in the IGM around SDSS J0818+1722 are instead reionised simultaneously
by a population of massive metal-free stars, characterised by very hard
ionising spectra, we obtain a tighter upper limit of z_H<8.4 (9.4). Initiating
reionisation at higher redshifts produces temperatures which are too low with
respect to our constraint unless the HI ionising sources or the quasar itself
have spectra significantly harder than typically assumed.
