Attention:The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 5:00 PM ET until 8:00 PM ET on Friday, September 11 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: Spatially Resolved Circumgalactic Medium around a Star-forming Galaxy Driving a Galactic Outflow at z  ≈ 0.8
Abstract We report the small-scale spatial variation in cool (T ∼ 104K) Mgiiabsorption detected in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of a star-forming galaxy atz ≈ 0.8. The CGM of this galaxy is probed by a spatially extended bright background gravitationally lensed arc atz= 2.76. The background arc continuously samples the CGM of the foreground galaxy at a range of impact parameters between 54 and 66 kpc. The Mgiiabsorption strengths vary by more than a factor of 2 within these ranges. A power-law fit to the fractional variation of absorption strengths yields a coherence length of 5.8 kpc within this range of impact parameters. This suggests a high degree of spatial coherence in the CGM of this galaxy. The host galaxy is driving a strong galactic outflow with a mean outflow velocity ≈ −179 km s−1and mass outflow rate Ṁout 6 427+31 Myr−1traced by blueshifted Mgiiand Feiiabsorption lines. The galaxy itself has a spatially extended emission halo with a maximum spatial extent of ≈33 kpc traced by [Oii], [Oiii], and Hβemission lines. The extended emission halo shows kinematic signatures of corotating halo gas with solar metallicity. Taken together, these observations suggest evidence of a baryon cycle that is recycling the outflowing gas to form the next generation of stars.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2206853
PAR ID:
10633233
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
IOP Publishing
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal
Volume:
986
Issue:
2
ISSN:
0004-637X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
190
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. We study the spatially resolved outflow properties of CSWA13, an intermediate-mass (M* = 109M), gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxy atz= 1.87. We use Keck/KCWI to map outflows in multiple rest-frame UV interstellar medium (ISM) absorption lines, along with fluorescent Siii* emission, and nebular emission from Ciii] tracing the local systemic velocity. The spatial structure of the outflow velocity mirrors that of the nebular kinematics, which we interpret to be a signature of a young galactic wind that is pressurizing the ISM of the galaxy but is yet to burst out. From the radial extent of Siii* emission, we estimate that the outflow is largely encapsulated within 3.5 kpc. We explore the geometry (e.g., patchiness) of the outflow by measuring the covering fraction at different velocities, finding that the maximum covering fraction is at velocitiesv ≃ −150 km s−1. Using the outflow velocity (vout), radius (R), column density (N), and solid angle (Ω) based on the covering fraction, we measure the mass-loss rate log ṁout /(M yr 1 )=1.73±0.23 and mass loading factor logη=0.04±0.34 for the low-ionization outflowing gas in this galaxy. These values are relatively large and the bulk of the outflowing gas is moving with speeds less than the escape velocity of the galaxy halo, suggesting that the majority of the outflowing mass will remain in the circumgalactic medium and/or recycle back into the galaxy. The results support a picture of high outflow rates transporting mass and metals into the inner circumgalactic medium, providing the gas reservoir for future star formation. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract We present analysis of one of the most extreme quasar outflows found to date in our survey of extremely high-velocity outflows (EHVOs). J164653.72+243942.2 (zem ∼ 3.04) shows variable Civλλ1548,1551 absorption at speeds larger than 0.1c, accompanied by Siiv, Nv,and Lyα, and disappearing absorption at lower speeds. We perform absorption measurements using the apparent optical depth method and SimBAL. We find the absorption to be very broad (Δv ∼  35,100 km s−1in the first epoch and 13,000 km s−1in the second one) and fast (vmax ∼  –50,200 km s−1and −49,000 km s−1, respectively). We measure large column densities ( logNH> 21.6 (cm−2)) and are able to place distance estimates for the EHVO (5 ≲ R ≲ 28 pc) and the lower-velocity outflow (7 ≲ R ≲ 540 pc). We estimate a mass outflow rate for the EHVO to be Ṁout 50290Myr1 and a kinetic luminosity of logLKE46.547.2(ergs1) in both epochs. The lower-velocity component has a mass outflow rate Ṁout 10790Myr1 and a kinetic luminosity of logLKE45.347.2(ergs1) . We find that J164653.72+243942.2 is not an outlier among EHVO quasars in regard to its physical properties. While its column density is lower than typical BAL values, its higher outflow velocities drive most of the mass outflow rate and kinetic luminosity. These results emphasize the crucial role of EHVOs in powering quasar feedback, and failing to account for these outflows likely leads to underestimating the feedback impact on galaxies. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract The inner circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies, where disk and halo processes intersect, remains poorly characterized despite its critical role in regulating galaxy evolution. We present results from Project AMIGA Insider, mapping Andromeda’s (M31) inner CGM within 0.25Rvir(∼75 kpc) using 11 QSO sightlines, bringing our total sample to 54 sightlines from the disk to 2Rvir. We detect a clear transition between M31’s thick disk and CGM atR ≲ 30 kpc, where low/intermediate ions show thick-disk corotating components with higher column densities than the CGM ones, while high ions exhibit similar column densities in both the CGM and thick disk. Beyond this region, all ion column densities decrease with impact parameter, with steeper gradients for low ions than high ions. The inner CGM (R ≲ 100 kpc) shows more complex gas phases and multicomponent absorption compared to the predominantly single-component outer CGM. We find no significant azimuthal dependence for any observed ions, suggesting M31’s CGM is shaped by radial processes (e.g., cooling flows, precipitation) rather than disk-aligned outflows. We estimate the total metal mass in M31’s cool (Siii, Siiii, Siiv) CGM withinRvirto be (1.9 ± 0. 3stat ± 0. 7sys) × 107M, leading to a cool gas mass of 6×109 (Z/0.3 Z ) 1 M. The warmer Ovigas may contain at least 10 times more metal and gas mass. Compared to the COS-HalosL*galaxies, M31’s cool CGM shows lower Si column densities atR ≲ 0.4R200and overall lower cool CGM masses, likely reflecting differences in galaxy mass and environment. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract We present a systematic study of the environments of 25 luminous quasars atz > 6.5 from the ASPIRE program. Using JWST/NIRCam wide-field slitless spectroscopy data, we identified 487 galaxies at 5.3 ≲ z ≲ 7.0 exhibiting [Oiii] emission. Among these, 122 [Oiii] emitters lie within ∣Δvlos∣ < 1000 km s−1of the quasars, corresponding to a ∼9.4-fold enhancement relative to the average galaxy density at other redshifts. Furthermore, we identified 16 [Cii]-emitting galaxies at the quasar redshifts from Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) mosaic observations. A cross-correlation function analysis between quasars and [Oiii]+[Cii] emitters yields a cross-correlation length of r0QG =8.6 80.55+0.51 h1cMpc and an autocorrelation of r0QQ =15.7 62.70+2.48 h1cMpc , indicating thatz ∼ 7 quasars reside in dark matter halos with Mhalo =10 12.2 70.26+0.21 M and have a quasar lifetime of tQ=10 7.051.01+0.95 yr . Notably, the number of [Oiii]-emitting galaxies at quasar redshifts varies significantly from field to field, ranging from 0 to 20, highlighting a diverse quasar environment. Remarkably, seven quasars trace significant galaxy overdensities (i.e., protoclusters), withδgal > 5 within a volume ofV ∼ 500 cMpc3. We also find that ∣Δvlos∣ increases rapidly toward smaller galaxy–quasar separations in protocluster fields, consistent with galaxy kinematics around extremely massive halos in cosmological simulations. By combining JWST and ALMA data, we reveal the complex and diverse environments of these early quasars, providing robust evidence that the earliest luminous quasars are effective tracers of galaxy overdensities, albeit with substantial field-to-field variation. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is home to many Hiiregions, which may lead to significant outflows. We examine the LMC’s multiphase gas (T∼104-5K) in Hi, Sii, Siiv, and Civusing 110 stellar sight lines from the Hubble Space Telescope’s Ultraviolet Legacy Library of Young Stars as Essential Standards program. We develop a continuum fitting algorithm based on the concept of Gaussian process regression and identify reliable LMC interstellar absorption overvhelio= 175–375 km s−1. Our analyses show disk-wide ionized outflows in Siivand Civacross the LMC with bulk velocities of ∣vout, bulk∣ ∼ 20–60 km s−1, which indicates that most of the outflowing mass is gravitationally bound. The outflows’ column densities correlate with the LMC’s star formation rate surface densities (ΣSFR), and the outflows with higher ΣSFRtend to be more ionized. Considering outflows from both sides of the LMC as traced by Civ, we conservatively estimate a total outflow rate of Ṁout 0.03Myr1 and a mass-loading factor ofη≳ 0.15. We compare the LMC’s outflows with those detected in starburst galaxies and simulation predictions, and find a universal scaling relation of v out,bulk ΣSFR0.23 over a wide range of star-forming conditions (ΣSFR∼ 10−4.5–102Myr−1kpc−2). Lastly, we find that the outflows are corotating with the LMC’s young stellar disk and the velocity field does not seem to be significantly impacted by external forces; we thus speculate on the existence of a bow shock leading the LMC, which may have shielded the outflows from ram pressure as the LMC orbits the Milky Way. 
    more » « less