High-redshift intergalactic C IV abundance measurements from the near-infrared spectra of two z ∼ 6 QSOs

New measurements of the z similar to 6 intergalactic C IV abundance are presented, using moderate-resolution IR spectra of two QSOs taken with GNIRS on Gemini-South. These data were systematically searched for high-redshift C IV absorption lines, using objective selection criteria. Comprehensive tests were performed to quantify sample incompleteness, as well as the rate of false-positive C IV identifications. The trend of constant Omega(C IV)(z) observed at z similar to 2-5 appears to continue to z similar to 6, the highest observed redshift. The C IV sample is also consistent with the redshift-invariant form of the C IV column density distribution reported by Songaila at lower redshift, although with fairly large uncertainties due to a smaller sample size and noisier infrared data. The constant value of Omega(C IV) does not necessarily imply that the IGM was infused with an early metallicity floor,'' but the presence of early C IV does indicate that heavy-element enrichment began less than or similar to 1 Gyr after the big bang. The lack of a decline in Omega(C IV) at high redshift may indicate that integrated C IV measurements are sensitive to the instantaneous rate of feedback from galaxy formation at each epoch. Alternatively, it could result from a balance in the evolution of the intergalactic gas density, ionization conditions, and heavy-element abundance over time.