Clumpiness of Observed and Simulated Cold Circumgalactic Gas

Abstract

Determining the clumpiness of matter around galaxies is pivotal to a full understanding of the spatially inhomogeneous, multi-phase gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). We combine high spatially resolved 3D observations with hydrodynamical cosmological simulations to measure the cold circumgalactic gas clumpiness. We present new adaptive-optics-assisted VLT/MUSE observations of a quadruply lensed quasar, targeting the CGM of 2 foreground $z\sim$1 galaxies observed in absorption. We additionally use zoom-in FOGGIE simulations with exquisite resolution ($\sim$0.1 kpc scales) in the CGM of galaxies to compute the physical properties of cold gas traced by Mg\,II absorbers. By contrasting these mock-observables with the VLT/MUSE observations, we find a large spread of fractional variations of Mg\,II equivalent widths with physical separation, both in observations and simulations. The simulations indicate a dependence of the Mg\,II coherence length on the underlying gas morphology (filaments vs clumps). The $z_{\mathrm{abs}}$=1.168 Mg\,II system shows coherence over $\gtrsim$ 6 kpc and is associated with an [O\,II] emitting galaxy situated 89 kpc away, with SFR $\ge$ 4.6 $\pm$ {1.5} ${\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$/yr and $M_{\ast }=10^{9.6\pm 0.2}{M}_{\odot }$. Based on this combined analysis, we determine that the absorber is consistent with being an inflowing filament. The $z_{\mathrm{abs}}$=1.393 Mg\,II system traces dense CGM gas clumps varying in strength over $\lesssim$ 2 kpc physical scales. Our findings suggest that this absorber is likely related to an outflowing clump. Our joint approach combining 3D-spectroscopy observations of lensed systems and simulations with extreme resolution in the CGM put new constraints on the clumpiness of cold CGM gas, a key diagnostic of the baryon cycle.

11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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• Metal line emission from galaxy haloes at z~1
• Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE) VI: The Circumgalactic Medium of $L^{\ast }$ Galaxies is Supported in an Emergent, Non-Hydrostatic Equilibrium
• MUSE-ALMA Haloes VIII: Statistical Study of Circumgalactic Medium Gas
• A galactic outflow traced by its extended Mg II emission out to a $\sim 30$ kpc radius in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field with MUSE
• Searching for cold gas traced by MgII quasar absorbers in massive X-ray-selected galaxy clusters
• Spatially Resolved Circumgalactic Medium around a Star-Forming Galaxy Driving a Galactic Outflow at $z\approx 0.8$
• Misty, patchy, and turbulent: constraining the cool circumgalactic medium with mCC
• CGM cloud sizes from refractive FRB scattering
• Kinematic analysis of an Ultra-Strong MgII absorber at z~1.13 linking to Circumgalactic Gas Structures
• Investigating the Circumgalactic Medium through Mg II absorption coincidence
• Intergalactic Medium Tomography with the Sunburst Arc