Detection of gas inflow during the onset of a starburst in a low-mass galaxy at z=2.45

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Coleman, Erin, C., Keerthi Vasan G., Chen, Yuguang, Jones, Tucker, Rhoades, Sunny, Ellis, Richard, Stark, Dan, Leethochawalit, Nicha, Sanders, Ryan, Mortensen, Kris, Glazebrook, Karl, Kacprzak, Glenn G.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2024
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author Coleman, Erin
C., Keerthi Vasan G.
Chen, Yuguang
Jones, Tucker
Rhoades, Sunny
Ellis, Richard
Stark, Dan
Leethochawalit, Nicha
Sanders, Ryan
Mortensen, Kris
Glazebrook, Karl
Kacprzak, Glenn G.
author_facet Coleman, Erin
C., Keerthi Vasan G.
Chen, Yuguang
Jones, Tucker
Rhoades, Sunny
Ellis, Richard
Stark, Dan
Leethochawalit, Nicha
Sanders, Ryan
Mortensen, Kris
Glazebrook, Karl
Kacprzak, Glenn G.
contents The baryon cycle is crucial for understanding galaxy formation, as gas inflows and outflows vary throughout a galaxy's lifetime and affect its star formation rate. Despite the necessity of accretion for galaxy growth at high redshifts, direct observations of inflowing gas have proven elusive especially at $z\gtrsim2$. We present spectroscopic analysis of a galaxy at redshift $z=2.45$ which exhibits signs of inflow in several ultraviolet interstellar absorption lines, with no clear outflow signatures. The absorption lines are redshifted by $\sim$250 km sec$^{-1}$ with respect to the systemic redshift, and C IV shows a prominent inverse P-Cygni profile. Simple stellar population models suggest that this galaxy has a low metallicity ($\sim$5% solar), with a very young starburst of age $\sim$4 Myr dominating the ultraviolet luminosity. The gas inflow velocity and nebular velocity dispersion suggest an approximate halo mass of order $\sim 10^{11}M_{\odot}$, a regime in which simulations predict that bursty star formation is common at this redshift. We conclude that this system is likely in the beginning of a cycle of bursty star formation, where inflow and star formation rates are high, but where supernovae and other feedback processes have not yet launched strong outflows. In this scenario, we expect the inflow-dominated phase to be observable (e.g., with net redshifted ISM absorption) for only a short timescale after a starburst onset. This result represents a promising avenue for probing the full baryon cycle, including inflows, during the formative phases of low-mass galaxies at high redshifts.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_00308
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Detection of gas inflow during the onset of a starburst in a low-mass galaxy at z=2.45
Coleman, Erin
C., Keerthi Vasan G.
Chen, Yuguang
Jones, Tucker
Rhoades, Sunny
Ellis, Richard
Stark, Dan
Leethochawalit, Nicha
Sanders, Ryan
Mortensen, Kris
Glazebrook, Karl
Kacprzak, Glenn G.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
The baryon cycle is crucial for understanding galaxy formation, as gas inflows and outflows vary throughout a galaxy's lifetime and affect its star formation rate. Despite the necessity of accretion for galaxy growth at high redshifts, direct observations of inflowing gas have proven elusive especially at $z\gtrsim2$. We present spectroscopic analysis of a galaxy at redshift $z=2.45$ which exhibits signs of inflow in several ultraviolet interstellar absorption lines, with no clear outflow signatures. The absorption lines are redshifted by $\sim$250 km sec$^{-1}$ with respect to the systemic redshift, and C IV shows a prominent inverse P-Cygni profile. Simple stellar population models suggest that this galaxy has a low metallicity ($\sim$5% solar), with a very young starburst of age $\sim$4 Myr dominating the ultraviolet luminosity. The gas inflow velocity and nebular velocity dispersion suggest an approximate halo mass of order $\sim 10^{11}M_{\odot}$, a regime in which simulations predict that bursty star formation is common at this redshift. We conclude that this system is likely in the beginning of a cycle of bursty star formation, where inflow and star formation rates are high, but where supernovae and other feedback processes have not yet launched strong outflows. In this scenario, we expect the inflow-dominated phase to be observable (e.g., with net redshifted ISM absorption) for only a short timescale after a starburst onset. This result represents a promising avenue for probing the full baryon cycle, including inflows, during the formative phases of low-mass galaxies at high redshifts.
title Detection of gas inflow during the onset of a starburst in a low-mass galaxy at z=2.45
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.00308