TY - JOUR
T1 - Discovery of extremely low-metallicity circumgalactic gas at z = 0.5 towards Q0454-220
AU - Norris, Jackson M.
AU - Muzahid, Sowgat
AU - Charlton, Jane C.
AU - Kacprzak, Glenn G.
AU - Wakker, Bart P.
AU - Churchill, Christopher W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s).
PY - 2021/10/1
Y1 - 2021/10/1
N2 - We have obtained new observations of the absorption system at zabs = 0.48 towards QSO Q0454-220, which we use to constrain its chemical and physical conditions. The system features metal-enriched gas and previously unknown low-metallicity gas detected ∼200km-1 blueward of the metal-enriched gas. The low-metallicity gas is detected in multiple Lyman series lines but is not detected in any metal lines. Our analysis includes low-ionization (e.g. Fe ii, Mg ii) metal lines, high-ionization (e.g. C iv, O vi, N v) metal lines, and several Lyman series lines. We use new ultraviolet (UV) spectra taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) along with data taken from HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES), and Very Large Telescope(VLT)/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES). We find that the absorption system can be explained with a photoionized low-ionization phase with [Fe/H] ∼-0.5 and H ∼ 10-2.3c-3 a photoionized high-ionization phase with a conservative lower limit of -3.3 < [Fe/H] and H ∼ 10-3.8 cm-3 and a low-metallicity component with a conservative upper limit of [Fe/H] < -2.5 that may be photoionized or collisionally ionized. We suggest that the low-ionization phase may be due to cold-flow accretion via large-scale filamentary structure or due to recycled accretion, while the high-ionization phase is the result of ancient outflowing material from a nearby galaxy. The low-metallicity component may come from pristine accretion. The velocity spread and disparate conditions among the absorption system's components suggest a combination of gas arising near galaxies along with gas arising from intergroup material.
AB - We have obtained new observations of the absorption system at zabs = 0.48 towards QSO Q0454-220, which we use to constrain its chemical and physical conditions. The system features metal-enriched gas and previously unknown low-metallicity gas detected ∼200km-1 blueward of the metal-enriched gas. The low-metallicity gas is detected in multiple Lyman series lines but is not detected in any metal lines. Our analysis includes low-ionization (e.g. Fe ii, Mg ii) metal lines, high-ionization (e.g. C iv, O vi, N v) metal lines, and several Lyman series lines. We use new ultraviolet (UV) spectra taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) along with data taken from HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES), and Very Large Telescope(VLT)/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES). We find that the absorption system can be explained with a photoionized low-ionization phase with [Fe/H] ∼-0.5 and H ∼ 10-2.3c-3 a photoionized high-ionization phase with a conservative lower limit of -3.3 < [Fe/H] and H ∼ 10-3.8 cm-3 and a low-metallicity component with a conservative upper limit of [Fe/H] < -2.5 that may be photoionized or collisionally ionized. We suggest that the low-ionization phase may be due to cold-flow accretion via large-scale filamentary structure or due to recycled accretion, while the high-ionization phase is the result of ancient outflowing material from a nearby galaxy. The low-metallicity component may come from pristine accretion. The velocity spread and disparate conditions among the absorption system's components suggest a combination of gas arising near galaxies along with gas arising from intergroup material.
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U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stab1812
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stab1812
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85118160060
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 506
SP - 5640
EP - 5657
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 4
ER -