arXiv subjects

Max Gronke

Publications and source records attributed to Max Gronke.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Tracing Warm Gas through C IV Radiative Transfer

The C IV $\lambda\lambda1548,1551$ resonance doublet is a key tracer of warm gas ($T\sim10^5\,{\rm K}$) within and around galaxies. Recent observations have detected this line in both absorption and emission, revealing asymmetric profiles in galaxies and spatially extended haloes around active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Resonance scattering can strongly modify the emergent spectra and spatial distributions, complicating their interpretation. Using 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations, we study C IV resonance scattering over a broad range of column densities, intrinsic emission-line widths, and outflow velocities. We find that multiple scattering broadens the line profile and, in outflowing media, modifies the doublet ratio, $R_{\rm CIV}$, defined as the flux ratio of the K and H components at 1548 and 1551 $\mathrm{\mathring{A}}$, respectively. When the outflow velocity approaches or exceeds the doublet separation ($\simeq500\,{\rm km\,s^{-1}}$), K-line photons are redistributed around the H component, driving $R_{\rm CIV}$ below its intrinsic value and, in optically thick fast outflows, even below unity. We also combine photoionization models with resonance scattering to investigate extended C IV haloes around AGNs and compare them with He II $\lambda1640$ emission. Simple photoionization models do not produce C IV emission more extended than He II, whereas resonance scattering redistributes locally produced and central-source C IV photons to larger radii. These results demonstrate that the C IV doublet ratio and spatial distribution provide complementary diagnostics of warm gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Resonantly Scattered CIV Emission in Local Star-forming Galaxies: Radiative Transfer Constraints on High-ionization Gas in Reionization Analogs

Rest-frame ultraviolet emission lines are diagnostics of hard ionizing spectra and highly ionized gas in galaxies resembling the sources of cosmic reionization. Nebular CIV emission traces both intrinsic line production and resonant scattering through its velocity-resolved profile. Previous studies have treated CIV empirically, using integrated fluxes, equivalent widths, and line ratios rather than modeling the radiative transfer (RT) shaping the emergent profiles. We present the first systematic RT modeling of resonantly scattered CIV emission profiles in 18 local star-forming galaxies observed with HST/COS. Using the clumpy RT framework PEACOCK, idealized experiments show that profile morphology is governed by column density, gas kinematics, intrinsic equivalent width, and aperture-dependent recovery of scattered emission. We fit continuum-normalized spectra corrected for stellar contributions with a neural-network-accelerated Bayesian pipeline, reproducing P-Cygni-like, double-peaked, double-peaked with two absorption troughs, and blue-bump plus red-peak morphologies. Emission infilling connects these profile classes and complicates kinematic inferences, while aperture losses decouple observed net equivalent widths from intrinsic line production. Combining RT-inferred intrinsic equivalent widths with rest-UV diagnostics, we find that most galaxies are consistent with stellar photoionization, although some may require harder spectra or more extreme ionization conditions. Comparison with CLASSY reveals stronger associations of stellar mass and star formation rate with gas kinematics than with CIV column density. Our results establish CIV as both a tracer of hard ionizing radiation and a resonant-line probe of gas structure and kinematics, with velocity-resolved profiles providing information beyond integrated line strengths in local reionization analogs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

The Impact of Circumgalactic Rotation on Ly$\alpha$ Radiative Transfer

Hydrogen Lyman-alpha (Ly$\alpha$) is a prominent emission line from the circumgalactic medium (CGM). Due to its resonant nature, Ly$\alpha$ carries imprints of the physical properties and kinematics of the cold CGM. In particular, CGM rotation can modify the Ly$\alpha$ peak separation, which is often interpreted as a tracer of H I column density. We present 3D Monte Carlo Ly$\alpha$ radiative-transfer simulations in a CGM-like rotating medium and examine how the emergent spectra depend on rotational velocity ($V_{\rm rot}$), H I column density ($N_{\rm HI}$), viewing angle, clumpiness, and intrinsic source width. We find that rotation broadens the integrated spectra and increases the peak separation, with the strongest viewing-angle dependence when rotational Doppler shifts dominate over frequency diffusion. At high $N_{\rm HI}$, numerous scatterings reduce the sensitivity of integrated spectra to rotation, producing a degeneracy between $V_{\rm rot}$ and $N_{\rm HI}$. Consequently, Ly$\alpha$ peak separation alone can overestimate $N_{\rm HI}$ in a rotating medium. Spatially resolved halo spectra provide a clearer diagnostic: opposite sides of the rotating medium show systematic redshifted and blueshifted asymmetries associated with the line-of-sight velocity of the last-scattering gas. Such rotation-driven signatures can also contribute to velocity-map patterns often interpreted in terms of inflow or outflow, highlighting the need to consider rotation in spatially resolved Ly$\alpha$ observations. We further show that the main signatures persist in simple clumpy media, while the halo signatures are largely insensitive to the intrinsic source width. Our results demonstrate that spatially resolved Ly$\alpha$ observation is essential for disentangling CGM rotation from radiative-transfer effects.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Survival is not Enough: Dust Sputtering, Growth, and H$_2$ Formation in Galactic Winds

A substantial amount of dust is found in galactic halos extending far beyond the disks, the origin of which remains an open question. Closely linked and equally puzzling is the detection of molecular gas in high-velocity galactic winds. To address this, we present the first cloud-crushing simulations that self-consistently include non-equilibrium cooling and chemistry with dust growth and sputtering. We find that surviving clouds naturally develop a two-phase structure, with a cold ($\sim 30$ K), dense core embedded in a warm ($\sim 10^4$ K), diffuse envelope. However, the presence of a cold phase does not always lead to molecular winds. While dust initially in the cloud largely survives in $10^6$ K winds, it is severely depleted by sputtering in hotter winds ($\gtrsim 10^7$ K). Importantly, without dust growth, the dust-to-gas ratio (DGR) of the cloud declines rapidly, suppressing the formation of molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) and keeping the entrained cloud atomic, even in cases where the majority of the initial dust survives. Nonthermal sputtering plays a subdominant role in all cases. The entrained clouds develop high molecular fractions only when dust growth is enabled, provided the cloud densities are sufficiently high ($\gtrsim$ 10 - 30 times the critical density for cloud survival). Our results suggest that "in situ" dust growth is essential to explain both the observed abundance of halo dust and the molecular gas in galactic winds.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

SPURS: Evidence for Clumpy Neutral Envelopes and Ionized IGM Surrounding Little Red Dots in Abell 2744 from Ultra-Deep Rest-UV Spectroscopy

Rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra of Little Red Dots (LRDs) often show Ly$\alpha$ emission. Along with broad Balmer emission, LRDs are expected to produce broad Ly$\alpha$ emission. However, the large column density of neutral gas invoked to explain the Balmer break should significantly redshift and further broaden the Ly$\alpha$ line, making it challenging to detect without sensitive, moderate-resolution spectra. We present ultra-deep (29 hours) G140M JWST/NIRSpec observations covering the rest-UV of two LRDs in Abell2744 from the SPURS Cycle 4 Large Program. One of our targets is Abell2744-QSO1, a gravitationally-lensed LRD at $z=7.04$ with faint UV emission (M$_{\rm UV}=-16.9$), and the other source (UNCOVER-2476) is newly-confirmed at $z=4.02$ with a very bright UV continuum (M$_{\rm UV}=-19.6$). We find that Abell2744-QSO1 has a broad Ly$\alpha$ profile, along with narrow CIV, FeII$\lambda1786$, and OI$\lambda1302$ emission. The Ly$\alpha$ profile suggests an origin similar to the broad H$\alpha$, but the line is considerably less redshifted than expected from existing dense gas models. We show that the line profile can be explained if the dense neutral gas is clumpy, allowing Ly$\alpha$ to escape by scattering off of the clump surfaces. We find that UNCOVER-2476 has narrow [NeIV] emission, indicating either a hard radiation field or shocks. We confirm two close neighbors with Ly$\alpha$ emission around Abell2744-QSO1, indicating it traces a dense environment that may have ionized its surrounding IGM. We suggest that LRDs may preferentially trace bubbles carved by their dense environments, contributing to the prevalence of Ly$\alpha$ in the population.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

The MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF) VIII. The cool gas distribution surrounding galaxies at redshifts z ~ 0.5-2

We use deep MUSE data from the MUDF survey to investigate the cool gas around galaxies at redshifts 0.5 < z < 2. We constructed two samples: one sample for a down-the-barrel analysis, probing outflows via MgII absorption against galaxy continua, and the other sample for projected galaxy pairs to examine the gas around the foreground galaxies in the transverse direction. From down-the-barrel stacked spectra, we detected blueshifted MgII absorption, indicative of outflows, in which the absorption strength increases with stellar mass and star formation rate. Lower-mass galaxies exhibit weaker absorption, but higher outflow velocities, whereas higher-mass systems retain more cool gas with slower outflows. In the transverse direction, the absorption of MgII decreases with the impact parameter, following a shallow profile. Comparing observations with radiative transfer models, we found that extrapolating an expanding halo model constrained with down-the-barrel measurements to halo scales overestimates the observed equivalent widths, likely due to the outflow geometry and the absence of the interstellar medium in the model. Our results highlight that mass, outflow geometry, and gas retention shape the cool circumgalactic medium, and that the combination of absorption and emission diagnostics provides powerful constraints on the properties of the cold halo gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

The Engine and its Flows: Little Red Dot spectra are shaped by the column densities of their gas envelopes

JWST data have enabled the abundant identification of compact broad Balmer line sources nicknamed the Little Red Dots. While they share broad lines with active galactic nuclei, they are unusually X-ray and infrared weak. We investigate the origin of the Balmer line profiles based on an empirical analysis of 18 broad H$\alpha$-selected sources with high quality spectra at $z\approx3-7$. The H$\alpha$ line profiles vary systematically with Balmer break strength: sources with blue UV to optical colors show a narrow core profile, redder sources with Balmer breaks a blue shifted absorption (P Cygni shape), and the reddest sources display absorption-dominated cores. All H$\alpha$ lines have symmetric exponential wings, which are more dominant and slightly broader in red sources. Balmer absorption is present in $\sim60$ % of the sample, with H$\beta$ showing relatively stronger absorption. Drawing upon empirical analogies with stellar phenomena, we interpret these trends as being due to radiative processes that depend on variations in the optical depth, ionisation state and column density of a clumpy, partially ionised envelope. We unveil a correlation between the absorber velocity and Balmer break strength, with the densest absorbers inflowing and bluer sources having faster outflows. This indicates viewing angle or evolutionary effects where optically thick gas is inflowing, as suggested in models of super-Eddington accretion, and the engine can more easily drive outflows in directions with lower column densities. This new understanding of Balmer line profiles as tracing gas properties rather than dynamical broadening helps resolve tensions associated with high inferred black hole masses from standard virial calibrations, and reveals the complex gas environment around the hot central engine.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Kinematically Coherent Multiphase Galactic Winds in Star-Forming Galaxies Revealed by Unified Radiative Transfer Modeling of UV Emission and Absorption Lines

We present PEACOCK, a three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer (RT) framework designed to self-consistently model rest-frame ultraviolet emission and absorption lines arising from multiphase, clumpy galactic winds. Applied to deep HST/COS spectra of 50 nearby star-forming galaxies, PEACOCK reproduces 220 observed profiles of Ly-alpha, Si II, C II, Si III, Si IV, and C IV spanning absorption, emission, and P-Cygni-like morphologies within a single CGM model. By combining Monte Carlo RT with deep-learning acceleration and nested sampling, the framework enables fully converged multi-line inference at a small fraction of the cost of traditional RT grids. Systematic experiments show that ion column densities, bulk outflow velocities, and turbulent motions leave distinct imprints on line profiles, allowing the underlying gas properties to be constrained with minimal degeneracy. Purely radial accelerating flows often fail to reproduce the observed absorption morphologies, whereas macroscopic velocity dispersion naturally produces the broad asymmetric troughs seen in the data, indicating that turbulent motions are a key component of outflow kinematics. The inferred kinematics reveal strong coherence among low- and high-ionization metal lines in both bulk and turbulent velocities, consistent with a dynamically coupled multiphase wind. In contrast, neutral hydrogen shows weaker correspondence with metals, suggesting incomplete mixing and a distinct kinematic structure. By unifying emission and absorption diagnostics across multiple ions, PEACOCK provides a physically grounded bridge between UV observations and theoretical models of galactic winds.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

The Prevalence of Turbulence-Regulated Multiphase Galactic Winds in Star-Forming Galaxies

We build upon our previously developed multi-ion radiative transfer (RT) framework, PEACOCK, to investigate the kinematic and energetic structure of cool-to-warm galactic winds in a sample of 50 nearby star-forming galaxies. Using self-consistent constraints derived from joint modeling of Ly-alpha and multiple ultraviolet metal lines, we analyze how bulk outflows and turbulent motions contribute to the dynamics and energy budget of galactic winds in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). We find that macroscopic turbulent velocities are often comparable to, and sometimes exceed, the coherent bulk outflow velocity. The associated turbulent pressure frequently dominates over both microscopic pressure and ram pressure, indicating that turbulence is a major contributor to the kinetic energy budget of the CGM wind. Wind kinematics, ionic column densities, and metal mass outflow rates all scale systematically with stellar mass and star formation rate, demonstrating a strong coupling between stellar feedback and CGM structure. Including turbulent motions strengthens these CGM-galaxy scaling relations and favors an energy-driven feedback regime. The total kinetic energy flux of the cool-to-warm CGM correlates tightly with the mechanical energy injection rate from star formation, implying that stellar feedback provides sufficient power to sustain both coherent outflows and turbulence. Comparisons with phenomenological line-profile fitting methods further show that simplified treatments can introduce systematic biases in inferred wind properties. Together these results support a turbulence-regulated picture of galactic winds in which a substantial fraction of feedback energy is stored in turbulent motions within a multiphase CGM.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Simulations of multi-phase gas in and around galaxies

Multiphase gas -- ranging from cold molecular clouds ($\lesssim 100\,$K) to hot, diffuse plasma ($\gtrsim 10^6\,$K) is a defining feature of the interstellar, circumgalactic, intracluster, and intergalactic media. Accurately simulating its dynamics is critical to improving our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution, however, due to their multi-scale and multi-physics nature, multiphase systems are highly challenging to model. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of numerical simulations of multiphase gas in and around galaxies. We begin by outlining the environments where multiphase gas arises and the physical and computational challenges associated with its modeling. Key quantities that characterize multiphase gas dynamics are discussed, followed by an in-depth look at idealized setups such as turbulent mixing layers, cloud-wind interactions, thermal instability, and turbulent boxes. The review then transitions to less idealized and/or larger-scale simulations, covering radiative supernovae bubbles, tall box simulations, isolated galaxy models including dwarf and Milky Way-mass systems, and cosmological zoom-in simulations, with a particular focus on simulations that enhance resolution in the halo. Throughout, we emphasize the importance of connecting scales, extracting robust diagnostics, and comparing simulations to observations. We conclude by outlining persistent challenges and promising directions for future work in simulating the multiphase Universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Kinematics of H I and O VI Absorbers: Insights into the Turbulence Driver of the Multiphase Circumgalactic Medium

We investigate large-scale gas kinematics in the multiphase circumgalactic medium (CGM) using the observed correlation between line width (Doppler $b$ parameter) and column density ($N$) for H I and O VI absorbers. Leveraging extensive public galaxy survey data at $z\lesssim0.1$, we construct a new galaxy sample based on the availability of background Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs) with far-ultraviolet spectra from the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). By combining this FUSE-galaxy sample with literature collections, we find that H I absorbers exhibit a clear inverse correlation between Doppler width and column density over nearly five orders of magnitude in $N_{\rm HI}$, from $N_{\rm HI} \approx 10^{13}\,\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$ to $N_{\rm HI} \approx 10^{18}\,\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$, while O VI absorption follows a positive correlation across $N_{\rm OVI}\approx 3\times10^{13}$-$10^{15}\,\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$.We develop a model framework to interpret these contrasting trends and show that H I absorbers are best described as systems of approximately constant total column density ($N_{\rm H}$), whereas O VI traces regions of roughly constant spatial density ($n_{\rm H}$ and $n_{\rm OVI}$). Under the latter scenario, the observed $b_{\rm OVI}$-$N_{\rm OVI}$ relation maps directly to a velocity-size relation consistent with a Kolmogorov-like turbulent spectrum. Together, these findings reveal a coherent physical picture in which H I and O VI trace a continuous turbulent cascade spanning more than five orders of magnitude in spatial scale-from cool, photoionized clumps to warm, highly ionized halo gas -- with accretion in the halo outskirts likely driving the turbulent energy injection that sustains the multiphase CGM.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

The Launching of Galactic Winds from a Multiphase ISM

Galactic outflows are a key agent of galaxy evolution, yet their observed multiphase nature remains difficult to reconcile with theoretical models, which often fail to explain how cold gas survives interactions with hot, fast winds. We present high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic simulations of hot outflows interacting with a multiphase interstellar medium (ISM), parameterised by its cold-gas volume filling fraction $f_v$, depth $L_{\rm ISM}$, and clump size $r_{\rm cl}$. We identify a universal survival criterion $f_v L_{\rm ISM} \gtrsim r_{\rm crit}$ that generalises the classical single-cloud condition ($r_{\rm cl} > r_{\rm crit}$) and correctly predicts cold-gas survival across diverse ISM configurations - including scale-free - down to $r_{\rm cl}/r_{\rm crit} \sim 10^{-2}$. The surviving cold phase rapidly loses memory of the initial ISM structure and evolves toward a self-similar clump mass spectrum following Zipf's law ($\mathrm{d}N/\mathrm{d}m \propto m^{-2}$), implying that turbulent mixing and radiative condensation universally shape multiphase outflows. Cold gas assembles into plumes or confined shells of size $\sim \chi r_{\mathrm{cl,min}}$, growing as mass is accreted from the hot phase. The interaction of a laminar wind with a clumpy ISM drives turbulence in both phases, with first-order velocity structure functions following a Kolmogorov scaling and an injection scale set by $L_{\rm ISM}$, while velocity dispersions reach $\sigma \sim c_{\rm s,cold}$. The areal covering fraction of cold gas approaches unity even for $f_v \sim 10^{-3}$, though its volume filling fraction stays low, explaining the "misty" appearance of observed outflows. Together, these results link small-scale cloud-wind interactions to galaxy-scale feedback, and we discuss their implications for interpreting observations and for modelling multiphase galactic winds in larger-scale simulations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Woven by the Whirls: The growth and entrainment of cold clouds in turbulent hot winds

Galactic and intergalactic flows often exhibit relative motion between the cold dense gas and the hot diffuse medium. Such multiphase flows -- involving gas at different temperatures, densities, and ionization states -- for instance, galactic winds, are frequently turbulent. However, idealized simulations typically model the winds and driven turbulence separately, despite their intertwined roles in galaxy evolution. To address this, we investigate the survival of a dense cloud in a hot wind subject to continuous external turbulent forcing. We perform 3D hydrodynamic simulations across a range of turbulent Mach numbers in the hot phase $\mathcal{M}_{\rm turb}=v_{\rm turb}/c_{\rm s, wind}$ from 0.1 to 0.7 ($c_{\rm s, wind}$ and $v_{\rm turb}$ being the sound speed and the turbulent velocity in the hot phase, respectively). We find that in spite of the additional subsonic turbulence, cold clouds can survive if the cooling time of the mixed gas $t_{\rm cool, mix}$ is shorter than a modified destruction time $\tilde{t}_{\rm cc}$, i.e., $t_{\rm cool,mix}/\tilde{t}_{\rm cc}<1$ where $\tilde{t}_{\rm cc}=t_{\rm cc}/(1+\left(\mathcal{M}_{\rm turb}/\left(f_{\rm mix}\mathcal{M}_{\rm wind}\right)\right)^2)^{1/2}$, where $f_{\rm mix}\sim0.6$ is a fudge factor. Moreover, in the `survival regime', turbulence can enhance the growth of cold clouds by up to an order of magnitude because of more efficient stretching and an associated increase in the surface area. This increase in mass transfer between the phases leads to significantly faster entrainment of cold material in turbulent winds. In contrast to the narrow filamentary tails formed in laminar winds, turbulence stretches the cold gas orthogonally, dispersing it over a larger area and changing absorption line signatures.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

The warm outer layer of a Little Red Dot as the source of [Fe II] and collisional Balmer lines with scattering wings

The population of the Little Red Dots (LRDs) may represent a key phase of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth. A cocoon of dense excited gas is emerging as key component to explain the most striking properties of LRDs, such as strong Balmer breaks and Balmer absorption, as well as the weak IR emission. To dissect the structure of LRDs, we analyze new deep JWST/NIRSpec PRISM and G395H spectra of FRESCO-GN-9771, one of the most luminous known LRDs at $z=5.5$. These reveal a strong Balmer break, broad Balmer lines and very narrow [O III] emission. We unveil a forest of optical [Fe II] lines, which we argue is emerging from a dense ($n_{\rm H}=10^{9-10}$ cm$^{-3}$) warm layer with electron temperature $T_{\rm e}\approx7000$ K. The broad wings of H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ have an exponential profile due to electron scattering in this same layer. The high $\rm H\alpha:H\beta:H\gamma$ flux ratio of $\approx10.4:1:0.14$ is an indicator of collisional excitation and resonant scattering dominating the Balmer line emission. A narrow H$\gamma$ component, unseen in the other two Balmer lines due to outshining by the broad components, could trace the ISM of a normal host galaxy with a star formation rate $\sim5$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. The warm layer is mostly opaque to Balmer transitions, producing a characteristic P-Cygni profile in the line centers suggesting outflowing motions. This same layer is responsible for shaping the Balmer break. The broad-band spectrum can be reasonably matched by a simple photoionized slab model that dominates the $\lambda>1500$ {\AA} continuum and a low mass ($\sim10^8$ M$_{\odot}$) galaxy that could explain the narrow [O III], with only subdominant contribution to the UV continuum. Our findings indicate that Balmer lines are not directly tracing gas kinematics near the SMBH and that the BH mass scale is likely much lower than virial indicators suggest.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Lyman-$\alpha$ Escape through Anisotropic Media

The escape of Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) radiation encodes valuable information on the neutral interstellar medium and is often used as a proxy for the escape of ionizing photons. Yet, the theory of Ly$\alpha$ transfer through anisotropic gas distributions remains underdeveloped. We present Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations of Ly$\alpha$ propagation through porous, inhomogeneous neutral gas, systematically exploring the effects of channel geometry, outflows, dust, and lognormally distributed column densities. We find that Ly$\alpha$ photons do not preferentially escape through the lowest-column-density pathways, but instead traverse channels of substantial optical depth, leading to suppressed central flux and the absence of strongly beamed escape. Subdividing channels has little impact, indicating that geometry and covering fraction are more important than porosity. Channels containing moderate amounts of neutral hydrogen alter escape in characteristic ways, including the appearance of quadruple-peaked spectra, which can be captured by a simple flux-channel relation. Outflows reshape the spectra by facilitating escape through dense media, redshifting photons and blending central features, while dust modulates the visibility of small channels by suppressing flux at line center; in both cases, we develop an analytical model that predicts the resulting central fluxes. Extending to lognormal column density fields, we show that Ly$\alpha$ photons probe a broad range of optical depths, producing skewed spectra that can be approximated by weighted sums of homogeneous models. Our results have direct implications for using Ly$\alpha$ as a tracer of gas properties and ionizing photon escape; for instance, spectra suggestive of high column densities may nonetheless allow LyC leakage through narrow channels.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Impact of Resonance, Raman, and Thomson Scattering on Hydrogen Line Formation in Little Red Dots

Little Red Dots (LRDs) are compact sources at $z>5$ discovered through JWST spectroscopy. Their spectra exhibit broad Balmer emission lines ($\gtrsim1000\rm~km~s^{-1}$), alongside absorption features and a pronounced Balmer break -- evidence for a dense, neutral hydrogen medium with the $n=2$ state. When interpreted as arising from AGN broad-line regions, inferred black hole masses from local scaling relations exceed expectations given their stellar masses, challenging models of early black hole-galaxy co-evolution. However, radiative transfer effects in dense media may also impact the formation of hydrogen emission lines. We model three scattering processes shaping hydrogen line profiles: resonance scattering by hydrogen in the $n=2$ state, Raman scattering of UV radiation by ground-state hydrogen, and Thomson scattering by free electrons. Using 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations with multi-branching resonance transitions, we examine their imprint on line shapes and ratios. Resonance scattering produces strong deviations from Case B flux ratios, clear differences between H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$, and encodes gas kinematics in line profiles but cannot broaden H$\beta$ due to conversion to Pa$\alpha$. While Raman scattering can yield broad wings, scattering of UV continuum is disfavored given the absence of strong FWHM variations across transitions. Raman scattering of higher Lyman-series emission can produce H$\alpha$/H$\beta$ wing width ratios of $\gtrsim1.28$, agreeing with observations. Thomson scattering can reproduce the observed $\gtrsim1000~\rm km\, s^{-1}$ wings under plausible conditions, e.g., $T_{\rm e} \sim 10^4\rm \, K$ and $N_{\rm e}\sim10^{24}\rm~cm^{-2}$ -- and lead to black hole mass overestimates by factors $\gtrsim10$. Our results provide a framework for interpreting hydrogen lines in LRDs and similar systems.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Survival of higher overdensity cold gas in a turbulent, multiphase medium

Cold gas clouds embedded in a hot, turbulent medium are expected to be short-lived due to disruptive hydrodynamic instabilities. However, radiative cooling might allow such clouds to survive and grow. We present 3D \texttt{Athena++} simulations of clouds with a density contrast of $\chi = 1000$, exploring turbulent Mach numbers $\mathcal{M}\in (0.25, 0.75)$ and cloud radii chosen to span cooling-to-crushing ratios $\alpha \in [0.001, 10]$. We find a shift in the survival boundary, with cloud survival occurring only when the cooling-to-cloud-crushing ratio ($t_{\text{cool,mix}} / t_{\text{cc}}$) $\lesssim 0.01$, which is lower than the expected boundary of $\sim 1$. This result shows that it is more difficult for higher over-density cold clouds to survive in a turbulent, hot medium, and suggests another `survival criterion'.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Simulating realistic Lyman-$\alpha$ emitting galaxies including the effect of radiative transfer

We present an empirical yet physically motivated simulation of realistic Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) at $z\sim2-3$, crucial for ongoing and forthcoming cosmological LAE surveys. We combine an empirical $\mathtt{UniverseMachine}$ galaxy-halo model with a simple spherical expanding shell model for the Lyman-$\alpha$ radiative transfer, calibrating only three free parameters to simultaneously reproduce the observed Lyman-$\alpha$ luminosity function and the angular clustering. Our LAE model is further supported by its consistency with other observables such as the Lyman-$\alpha$ equivalent width distribution, the Lyman-$\alpha$ escape fraction as a function of stellar mass and dust reddening, and the systemic velocity offsets. Our LAE model provides predictions for the halo occupation distributions for LAEs and relationship between Ly$\alpha$ luminosity and halo mass, including the distribution of satellite LAEs. Our work provides a crucial first step towards creating a high-fidelity LAE synthetic catalog for the LAE cosmology surveys. We make our LAE catalog and spectra publicly available upon publication.

astro-ph.GA↗