A survey for HI in the distant Universe: the detection of associated
  21-cm absorption at z=1.28
  We have undertaken a survey for HI 21-cm absorption within the host galaxies
of z ~ 1.2 - 1.5 radio sources, in the search of the cool neutral gas currently
"missing" at z > 1. This deficit is believed to be due to the optical selection
of high redshift objects biasing surveys towards sources of sufficient
ultra-violet luminosity to ionise all of the gas in the surrounding galaxy. In
order to avoid this bias, we have selected objects above blue magnitudes of
B~20, indicating ultra-violet luminosities below the critical value above which
21-cm has never been detected. As a secondary requirement to the radio flux and
faint optical magnitude, we shortlist targets with radio spectra suggestive of
compact sources, in order to maximise the coverage of background emission. From
this, we obtain one detection out of ten sources searched, which at z=1.278 is
the third highest redshift detection of associated 21-cm absorption to date.
Accounting for the spectra compromised by radio frequency interference, as well
as various other possible pitfalls (reliable optical redshifts and turnover
frequencies indicative of compact emission), we estimate a detection rate of
~30%, close to that expected for L_UV < 1e23 W/Hz sources.
