Direct high-resolution observation of feedback and chemical enrichment in the circumgalactic medium at redshift z ~ 2.8
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2024
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| _version_ | 1866929698027601920 |
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| author | Peng, Bo Battaia, Fabrizio Arrigoni Vishwas, Amit Li, Mingyu Iani, Edoardo Sun, Fengwu Li, Qiong Ferkinhoff, Carl Stacey, Gordon Cai, Zheng Ivison, Rob |
| author_facet | Peng, Bo Battaia, Fabrizio Arrigoni Vishwas, Amit Li, Mingyu Iani, Edoardo Sun, Fengwu Li, Qiong Ferkinhoff, Carl Stacey, Gordon Cai, Zheng Ivison, Rob |
| contents | The circumgalactic medium (CGM) plays a vital role in galaxy evolution, however, studying the emission from CGM is challenging due to its low surface brightness and the complexities involved in interpreting resonant lines such as Ly$α$. The near-infrared coverage, unprecedented sensitivity, and high spatial resolution of JWST enable us to study the optical strong lines associated with the extended Ly$α$ "nebulae" at redshifts of 2--3. These lines serve as diagnostic tools to infer the physical conditions in the CGM gas reservoir of these systems. In deep medium-band images taken by the JWST, we serendipitously discovered the [O III] emission from the CGM around a massive interacting galaxy system at a redshift z~2.8, known to be embedded in a bright extended (100 kpc) Ly$α$ "nebula." This is the first time that the [O III] lines have been detected from a Ly$α$ "nebula." The JWST images reveal that the CGM gas actually resides in narrow (~ 2.5 kpc) filamentary structures with strong [O III] emission, tracing the same extent as the Ly$α$ emission. An analysis of the [O III] suggests that the emitting CGM is fully ionized and is energetically dominated by mechanical heating. We also find that the density and pressure are higher than those commonly predicted by simulations of the CGM. We conclude that the observed CGM emission originates from the gas expelled by the episodic feedback processes, cooling down and enriching the CGM, while traveling a distance of at least 60 kpc. These observations demonstrate how intensive feedback processes shape gas distribution and properties in the CGM around massive halos. While access to such deep, high-resolution imaging opens up a new discovery space for investigating the CGM, it also challenges numerical simulations with respect to explaining and reproducing the exquisitely complex structures revealed by the observations. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_10993 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Direct high-resolution observation of feedback and chemical enrichment in the circumgalactic medium at redshift z ~ 2.8 Peng, Bo Battaia, Fabrizio Arrigoni Vishwas, Amit Li, Mingyu Iani, Edoardo Sun, Fengwu Li, Qiong Ferkinhoff, Carl Stacey, Gordon Cai, Zheng Ivison, Rob Astrophysics of Galaxies The circumgalactic medium (CGM) plays a vital role in galaxy evolution, however, studying the emission from CGM is challenging due to its low surface brightness and the complexities involved in interpreting resonant lines such as Ly$α$. The near-infrared coverage, unprecedented sensitivity, and high spatial resolution of JWST enable us to study the optical strong lines associated with the extended Ly$α$ "nebulae" at redshifts of 2--3. These lines serve as diagnostic tools to infer the physical conditions in the CGM gas reservoir of these systems. In deep medium-band images taken by the JWST, we serendipitously discovered the [O III] emission from the CGM around a massive interacting galaxy system at a redshift z~2.8, known to be embedded in a bright extended (100 kpc) Ly$α$ "nebula." This is the first time that the [O III] lines have been detected from a Ly$α$ "nebula." The JWST images reveal that the CGM gas actually resides in narrow (~ 2.5 kpc) filamentary structures with strong [O III] emission, tracing the same extent as the Ly$α$ emission. An analysis of the [O III] suggests that the emitting CGM is fully ionized and is energetically dominated by mechanical heating. We also find that the density and pressure are higher than those commonly predicted by simulations of the CGM. We conclude that the observed CGM emission originates from the gas expelled by the episodic feedback processes, cooling down and enriching the CGM, while traveling a distance of at least 60 kpc. These observations demonstrate how intensive feedback processes shape gas distribution and properties in the CGM around massive halos. While access to such deep, high-resolution imaging opens up a new discovery space for investigating the CGM, it also challenges numerical simulations with respect to explaining and reproducing the exquisitely complex structures revealed by the observations. |
| title | Direct high-resolution observation of feedback and chemical enrichment in the circumgalactic medium at redshift z ~ 2.8 |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.10993 |