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1. The CGM 2 Survey: Circumgalactic O vi from Dwarf to Massive Star-forming Galaxies

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac450c  

   Tchernyshyov, Kirill ; Werk, Jessica K. ; Wilde, Matthew C. ; Prochaska, J. Xavier ; Tripp, Todd M. ; Burchett, Joseph N. ; Bordoloi, Rongmon ; Howk, J. Christopher ; Lehner, Nicolas ; O’Meara, John M. ; et al ( March 2022 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   We combine 126 new galaxy-Oviabsorber pairs from the CGM²survey with 123 pairs drawn from the literature to examine the simultaneous dependence of the column density of Oviabsorbers (N_OVI) on galaxy stellar mass, star-formation rate, and impact parameter. The combined sample consists of 249 galaxy-Oviabsorber pairs coveringz= 0–0.6, with host galaxy stellar massesM_*= 10^7.8–10^11.2M_⊙and galaxy-absorber impact parametersR_⊥= 0–400 proper kiloparsecs. In this work, we focus on the variation ofN_OVIwith galaxy mass and impact parameter among the star-forming galaxies in the sample. We find that the averageN_OVIwithin one virial radius of a star-forming galaxy is greatest for star-forming galaxies withM_*= 10^9.2–10¹⁰M_⊙. Star-forming galaxies withM_*between 10⁸and 10^11.2M_⊙can explain most Ovisystems with column densities greater than 10^13.5cm⁻². Sixty percent of the Ovimass associated with a star-forming galaxy is found within one virial radius, and 35% is found between one and two virial radii. In general, we find that some departure from hydrostatic equilibrium in the CGM is necessary to reproduce the observed Oviamount, galaxy mass dependence, and extent. Our measurements serve as a test set for CGM models over a broad range of host galaxy masses.

    

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2. The CGM 2 Survey: Quenching and the Transformation of the Circumgalactic Medium

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acc86a  

   Tchernyshyov, Kirill ; Werk, Jessica K. ; Wilde, Matthew C. ; Prochaska, J. Xavier ; Tripp, Todd M. ; Burchett, Joseph N. ; Bordoloi, Rongmon ; Howk, J. Christopher ; Lehner, Nicolas ; O’Meara, John M. ; et al ( May 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   This study addresses how the incidence rate of strong Oviabsorbers in a galaxy’s circumgalactic medium (CGM) depends on galaxy mass and, independently, on the amount of star formation in the galaxy. We use Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph absorption spectroscopy of quasars to measure Oviabsorption within 400 projected kpc and 300 km s⁻¹of 52 galaxies withM_*∼ 3 × 10¹⁰M_⊙. The galaxies have redshifts 0.12 <z< 0.6, stellar masses 10^10.1M_⊙<M_*< 10^10.9M_⊙, and spectroscopic classifications as star-forming or passive. We compare the incidence rates of high column density Oviabsorption (N_OVI≥ 10^14.3cm⁻²) near star-forming and passive galaxies in two narrow ranges of stellar mass and, separately, in a matched range of halo mass. In all three mass ranges, the Ovicovering fraction within 150 kpc is higher around star-forming galaxies than around passive galaxies with greater than 3σ-equivalent statistical significance. On average, the CGM of star-forming galaxies withM_*∼ 3 × 10¹⁰M_⊙contains more Ovithan the CGM of passive galaxies with the same mass. This difference is evidence for a CGM transformation that happens together with galaxy quenching and is not driven primarily by halo mass.

    

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3. Thermal instability in the CGM of L ⋆ galaxies: testing ‘precipitation’ models with the FIRE simulations

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1281  

   Esmerian, Clarke J ; Kravtsov, Andrey V ; Hafen, Zachary ; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André ; Quataert, Eliot ; Stern, Jonathan ; Kereš, Dušan ; Wetzel, Andrew ( June 2021 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   null (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT We examine the thermodynamic state and cooling of the low-z circumgalactic medium (CGM) in five FIRE-2 galaxy formation simulations of Milky Way-mass galaxies. We find that the CGM in these simulations is generally multiphase and dynamic, with a wide spectrum of largely non-linear density perturbations sourced by the accretion of gas from the intergalactic medium (IGM) and outflows from both the central and satellite galaxies. We investigate the origin of the multiphase structure of the CGM with a particle-tracking analysis and find that most of the low-entropy gas has cooled from the hot halo as a result of thermal instability triggered by these perturbations. The ratio of cooling to free-fall time-scales tcool/tff in the hot component of the CGM spans a wide range of ∼1−100 at a given radius but exhibits approximately constant median values of ∼5−20 at all radii 0.1Rvir < r < Rvir. These are similar to the ≈10−20 value typically adopted as the thermal instability threshold in ‘precipitation’ models of the ICM. Consequently, a one-dimensional model based on the assumption of a constant tcool/tff and hydrostatic equilibrium approximately reproduces the number density and entropy profiles of each simulation but only if it assumes the metallicity profile and temperature boundary condition taken directly from the simulation. We explicitly show that the tcool/tff value of a gas parcel in the hot component of the CGM does not predict its probability of subsequently accreting on to the central galaxy. This suggests that the value of tcool/tff is a poor predictor of thermal stability in gaseous haloes in which large-amplitude density perturbations are prevalent. 

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4. A Comprehensive Investigation of Metals in the Circumgalactic Medium of Nearby Dwarf Galaxies

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acfe6b  

   Zheng 郑, Yong 永. ; Faerman, Yakov ; Oppenheimer, Benjamin D. ; Putman, Mary E. ; McQuinn, Kristen B. W. ; Kirby, Evan N. ; Burchett, Joseph N. ; Telford, O. Grace ; Werk, Jessica K. ; Kim, Doyeon A. ( December 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   Dwarf galaxies are found to have lost most of their metals via feedback processes; however, there still lacks consistent assessment on the retention rate of metals in their circumgalactic medium (CGM). Here we investigate the metal content in the CGM of 45 isolated dwarf galaxies withM_*= 10^6.5–9.5M_⊙(M_200m= 10^10.0–11.5M_⊙) using the Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. While Hi(Lyα) is ubiquitously detected (89%) within the CGM, we find low detection rates (≈5%–22%) in Cii, Civ, Siii, Siiii, and Siiv, largely consistent with literature values. Assuming these ions form in the cool (T≈ 10⁴K) CGM with photoionization equilibrium, the observed Hiand metal column density profiles can be best explained by an empirical model with low gas density and high volume filling factor. For a typical galaxy withM_200m= 10^10.9M_⊙(median of the sample), our model predicts a cool gas mass ofM_CGM,cool∼ 10^8.4M_⊙, corresponding to ∼2% of the galaxy’s baryonic budget. Assuming a metallicity of 0.3 Z_⊙, we estimate that the dwarf galaxy’s cool CGM likely harbors ∼10% of the metals ever produced, with the rest either in more ionized states in the CGM or transported to the intergalactic medium. We further examine the EAGLE simulation and show that Hiand low ions may arise from a dense cool medium, while Civarises from a diffuse warmer medium. Our work provides the community with a uniform data set on dwarf galaxies’ CGM that combines our recent observations, additional archival data and literature compilation, which can be used to test various theoretical models of dwarf galaxies.

    

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5. The Bimodal Absorption System Imaging Campaign (BASIC). I. A Dual Population of Low-metallicity Absorbers at z < 1

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb047  

   Berg, Michelle A. ; Lehner, Nicolas ; Howk, J. Christopher ; O’Meara, John M. ; Schaye, Joop ; Straka, Lorrie A. ; Cooksey, Kathy L. ; Tripp, Todd M. ; Prochaska, J. Xavier ; Oppenheimer, Benjamin D. ; et al ( February 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   The bimodal absorption system imaging campaign (BASIC) aims to characterize the galaxy environments of a sample of 36 Hi-selected partial Lyman limit systems (pLLSs) and Lyman limit systems (LLSs) in 23 QSO fields atz≲ 1. These pLLSs/LLSs provide a unique sample of absorbers with unbiased and well-constrained metallicities, allowing us to explore the origins of metal-rich and low-metallicity circumgalactic medium (CGM) atz< 1. Here we present Keck/KCWI and Very Large Telescope/MUSE observations of 11 of these QSO fields (19 pLLSs) that we combine with Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging to identify and characterize the absorber-associated galaxies at 0.16 ≲z≲ 0.84. We find 23 unique absorber-associated galaxies, with an average of one associated galaxy per absorber. For seven absorbers, all with <10% solar metallicities, we find no associated galaxies with$\log M_{\star }\gtrsim 9.0$withinρ/R_virand ∣Δv∣/v_esc≤ 1.5 with respect to the absorber. We do not find any strong correlations between the metallicities or Hicolumn densities of the gas and most of the galaxy properties, except for the stellar mass of the galaxies: the low-metallicity ([X/H] ≤ −1.4) systems have a probability of${0.39}_{-0.15}^{+0.16}$for having a host galaxy with$\log M_{\star }\ge 9.0$withinρ/R_vir≤ 1.5, while the higher metallicity absorbers have a probability of${0.78}_{-0.13}^{+0.10}$. This implies metal-enriched pLLSs/LLSs atz< 1 are typically associated with the CGM of galaxies with$\log M_{\star }>9.0$, whereas low-metallicity pLLSs/LLSs are found in more diverse locations, with one population arising in the CGM of galaxies and another more broadly distributed in overdense regions of the universe. Using absorbers not associated with galaxies, we estimate the unweighted geometric mean metallicity of the intergalactic medium to be [X/H] ≲ −2.1 atz< 1, which is lower than previously estimated.

    

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