arXiv subjects

Raghunathan Srianand

Publications and source records attributed to Raghunathan Srianand.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

On the Origin of the Ly$\alpha$ Damping Wing in Galaxies at $8\le z \le 10$: Explorations using the NINJA Simulations

Ly$\alpha$ damping wing measurements of galaxies at $7\leq z\leq14$ with the JWST provide a powerful probe of the Epoch of Reionization. We combine the large-scale cosmological hydrodynamical NINJA simulations with an idealized ionized-bubble model at z=8 and 10 to quantify the contributions of the intergalactic medium (IGM), circumgalactic medium (CGM), and interstellar medium (ISM) to the observed Ly$\alpha$ damping wing. We generate mock Ly$\alpha$ absorption spectra, and consider three idealized scenarios: (i) galaxies embedded in a uniformly ionized IGM, (ii) galaxies surrounded by HII regions with radii of 0-400 pkpc, and (iii) the same models including Ly$\alpha$ absorption from partially ionized gas within the virial radius. We explore IGM neutral fractions ($x_{\rm HI}$) of 0.1, 0.8, and 1.0, and compare the distribution of inferred HI column densities (NHI) with observations to constrain the sizes of HII regions and $x_{\rm HI}$ of the IGM and gas in and around galaxies. Galaxies are surrounded by over-dense gas extending to $\sim$60-100 pkpc, with its extent increasing with halo mass and showing little evolution between z=8 and 10. The inferred NHI also increases with halo and stellar mass. While the observed incidence of damped Ly$\alpha$ absorption and the median NHI can be reproduced by different combinations of $x_{\rm HI}$ of the IGM and HII region size, models with a uniformly ionized IGM or HII regions larger than $\sim50$ pkpc fail to reproduce the strongest absorbers (NHI>$10^{22}cm^{-2}$). Including partially ionized gas within the virial radius substantially increases the incidence of these absorbers, although the predicted values remain below the observations, suggesting an additional contribution from unresolved gas in stellar birth clouds. The strongest damped Ly$\alpha$ absorbers therefore provide a unique probe of the ionization state of the ISM, CGM, and IGM.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

High-S/N Quasar Observations with HST/COS: Deep Fields for Spectroscopy

Hubble is still in prime observing condition for making transformative discoveries in UV astronomy. In this white paper we describe the science case for a deep (S/N>30) UV spectroscopic survey with HST/COS targeting approximately 20 QSOs at 0.5<z<1.5 at good resolution (20 km/s). This survey would capitalize on our current UV capability, produce a legacy dataset enabling community science in many areas of galactic and extragalactic research, and pioneer a path for future UV science with the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Such high-S/N spectra are largely missing from the MAST archives, and would be analogous to the deep Hubble imaging fields (HDF, UDF, Frontier Fields) that have been enormously successful and far-reaching in their science impact. This legacy dataset would enable frontier science programs in several areas, including (1) studies of the CGM and IGM at unparalleled sensitivity, covering a wide range of UV metal lines and reaching very low H I column densities of log N=12.6 and low metallicities near [Z/H]=-2, enabling precision studies of the chemical abundances, ionization, temperature, and baryon and metal budgets of the CGM and IGM; (2) diffuse gas in the Milky Way and Local Group, including high-velocity clouds and gas streams from satellite mergers; (3) AGN outflows, which would be probed in the rest-frame extreme ultraviolet (EUV), covering continuum-generation mechanisms and diagnostics of gas in accretion-disk outflows.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

NISER-IUCAA New Simulations of JWST GAlaxies and Quasars(NINJA): Properties of galaxies at $5 \leq z \leq 10$

We present the NINJA suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations developed to investigate galaxy formation and evolution at $z \gtrsim 5$ in the era of JWST. Using our fiducial simulation, we explore a range of spectral synthesis prescriptions and dust attenuation models, demonstrating that suitably chosen parameters can reproduce the observed UV luminosity functions (UVLFs) over $5 \leq z \leq 10$. In all cases, the inferred dust-to-metal ratio evolves with redshift, although its normalization at fixed redshift varies by a factor of $\sim 7$, depending on the adopted dust--metallicity scaling and attenuation curve. These model variations introduce substantial scatter in predictions for the $B$-band luminosity function, the H$\alpha$ luminosity function, the UV slope--UV magnitude relation, the stellar mass--Balmer ratio relation, and the relation between stellar and nebular colour excesses. Simultaneously reproducing these observables across multiple redshifts will therefore be essential for constraining dust models at high redshift with forthcoming observations. Observations of galaxies spanning a broad range of stellar masses with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) will provide particularly strong and independent constraints on dust properties. Our fiducial models underpredict the UV luminosity function at $z \geq 10$ relative to current observations, even when adopting a top-heavy IMF and neglecting dust attenuation. We find that galaxy properties are not fully converged at these redshifts in our simulation, indicating that higher-resolution simulations are required to robustly model galaxies at $z > 10$. We further emphasize that degeneracies between feedback prescriptions used in our simulation and dust properties must be carefully addressed when interpreting high-redshift observations and calibrating galaxy formation models.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Investigating the Circumgalactic Medium through Mg II absorption coincidence

We present a statistical measurement of the transverse coherence of Mg II $\lambda\lambda2796,2803$ absorption using a large sample of 9204 absorber-centric quasar sightline pairs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We quantify the probability that an Mg II absorber detected along one sightline is also present along a nearby sightline, and measure how this coincidence probability varies with projected separation from $\sim$50 kpc to $\sim$1 Mpc. The resulting coincidence curve exhibits a clear two-regime structure: the coincidence probability rises steeply to $\sim$5-8% at separations below $\sim$100 kpc, but declines rapidly beyond this scale and settles into a low plateau of $\sim$1--2% out to $\sim$1 Mpc. A simple geometrical single-halo model reproduces the enhanced probability at $\lesssim$100 kpc, while the large-scale plateau is well explained by the expected contribution from galaxy clustering, confirmed using both photometric galaxy counts and the two-point correlation function. A complementary stacking analysis reveals a significant excess in Mg II equivalent width in paired sightlines lacking individual detections, implying a coherence scale of $\sim$100-200 kpc for the cool, metal-enriched CGM. Together, these results identify the transition from a halo-dominated coherence regime at small separations to a clustering-dominated regime at large scales, bridging the gap between small-scale lensing constraints and megaparsec-scale absorber clustering studies.

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arXiv2026

Cosmic Chance Superpositions: Largest Catalog of Quasar-Galaxy Pairs at a Projected Separation of $D \lesssim 20$ kpc

We present the largest catalogue to date of Galaxies On Top Of Quasars (GOTOQs), systems where the sightline to a background quasar passes directly through or very close to a foreground galaxy. Using $\approx$1.1 million quasar spectra from SDSS DR16 and the DESI Early Data Release, we identify 1345 unique GOTOQs over the redshift range $0.0045 \leq z \leq 1.09$, more than quadrupling the number previously known. The catalogue combines both absorption agnostic and absorption selected searches, enabling a robust characterization of gas in galaxies at projected separations $D \lesssim 20$ kpc. The GOTOQ emission line ratios indicate that their host galaxies are predominantly normal, star forming disks with typical dust extinctions of $A_V \approx 0.5$ mag. We measure the MgII covering fraction at $D \lesssim 20$ kpc and find it to be remarkably high, $f_c = 98.2^{+1.3}_{-4.5}$ per cent, indicating that these systems trace gas rich, metal enriched regions at the disk-halo interface. The median colour excess towards the quasar line of sight, $E(B-V) = 0.087$, is significantly higher than that of typical MgII absorbers, underscoring the dust rich nature of GOTOQ sightlines. From a high signal to noise composite spectrum, we report the first statistical detection of the diffuse interstellar band at $\lambda 4428$ ($W_r = 0.055 \pm 0.011$ angstrom) and at $\lambda 5780$ ($W_r = 0.051\pm 0.012$ angstrom), revealing the presence of complex organic molecules at the disk halo interface. This catalogue provides a powerful reference sample for future multi wavelength studies of gas flows, cold gas, and dust evolution in the inner circumgalactic medium.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

HI 21-cm Absorption Associated with Foreground Galaxies on Top of Quasars

A systematic search for HI 21-cm absorption in Quasar-Galaxy Pairs (QGPs) provides a powerful means to map the distribution of cold gas around high-redshift star-forming galaxies. Fiber spectroscopy of high-redshift quasars enables the serendipitous detection of foreground star-forming galaxies at extremely small impact parameters, forming a unique subset of QGPs known as Galaxies On Top Of Quasars (GOTOQs). In this study, we present results from a pilot upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) survey of three GOTOQs, where we achieved a remarkable 100% detection rate of HI 21-cm absorption. By combining our findings with existing literature, we establish that GOTOQs constitute a distinct population in terms of HI 21-cm absorption, with significantly higher detection rates than those observed in Damped Lyman-$α$ (DLA)-based or metal absorption-based searches. For the GOTOQs, we find a strong correlation between the line-of-sight reddening and the HI 21-cm optical depth, characterized by $\int τ\, dv\, (\rm{km\,s^{-1}}) = 13.58^{+2.75}_{-2.35} E(B-V) + 0.68^{+1.06}_{-1.27}$, consistent with the Milky Way sightlines. We also show that the HI 21-cm detection rates and optical depth declines rapidly with the impact parameter. With upcoming wide-field spectroscopic surveys expected to substantially expand the catalog of known GOTOQs, the success of this pilot survey lays the foundation for constructing a statistically significant sample of intervening HI 21-cm absorbers.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Quasar radiation transforms the gas in a merging companion galaxy

Quasars, powered by gas accretion onto supermassive black holes, rank among the most energetic objects of the Universe. While they are thought to be ignited by galaxy mergers and affect the surrounding gas, observational constraints on both processes remain scarce. Here we unveil a major merging system at redshift $z \approx 2.7$, and demonstrate that radiation from the quasar in one galaxy directly alters the gas properties in the other galaxy. Our findings reveal that the galaxies, with centroids separated by only a few kiloparsecs and approaching each other at speed $\approx550\,$km$\,$s$^{-1}$, are massive, form stars, and contain a substantial molecular mass. Yet, dusty molecular gas seen in absorption against the quasar nucleus is highly excited and confined within cloudlets with densities $\sim 10^5$ - $10^6$ cm$^{-3}$ and sizes $<$0.02 pc, several orders of magnitude more compact than those observed in intervening (non-quasar) environments. This is also approximately 10$^5$ times smaller than currently resolvable through molecular-line emission at high redshifts. We infer that, wherever exposed to the quasar radiation, molecular gas is disrupted, leaving behind surviving dense clouds too small to give birth to new stars. Our results not only underscore the role of major galaxy mergers in triggering quasar activity, but also reveal localized negative feedback as a profound alteration of internal gas structure which likely hampers star formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Circumgalactic medium of quasar host galaxies at 0.4<z<0.8 probed by strong Mg II absorption

Using a sample of 166 projected quasar pairs we investigate the influence of active galactic nuclei on the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of the quasar host galaxies probed using strong Mg II absorption (i.e., $W_{2796}\ge 1\dot{A}$) at impact parameters ($D$) $<$100 kpc. The foreground quasars are restricted to the redshift range $0.4 \leq z \leq 0.8$ and have median bolometric luminosity and stellar mass of $10^{45.1} erg~s^{-1}$and $10^{10.89} M_\odot$ respectively. We report detections of Mg II absorption in 29 cases towards the background quasar and in 4 cases along the line of sight to the foreground quasars. We do not find any difference in the distribution of $W_{2796}$ and covering fraction ($f_c$) as a function of $D$ between quasar host galaxies and control sample of normal galaxies. These results are different from what has been reported in the literature, possibly because: (i) our sample is restricted to a narrow redshift range, (ii) comparative analysis is carried out after matching the galaxy parameters, (iii) we focus mainly on strong Mg II absorption and (iv) our sample lacks foreground quasars with high bolometric luminosity (i.e., $L_{bol}>10^{45.5}$ erg s$^{-1}$). Future studies probing luminous foreground quasars, preferably at lower impact parameters and higher equivalent width sensitivity is needed to consolidate our findings.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Strong nebular emissions associated with MgII absorptions detected in the SDSS spectra of background quasars

We present long-slit spectroscopic observations of 40 Galaxy On Top Of Quasars (GOTOQs) at ${0.37 \leqslant z \leqslant 1.01}$ using the South African Large Telescope. Using this and available photometric data, we measure the impact parameters of the foreground galaxies to be in the range of 3$-$16 kpc with a median value of 8.6 kpc. This is the largest sample of galaxies producing MgII absorption at such low impact parameters. These quasar-galaxy pairs are ideal for probing the disk-halo interface. At such impact parameters, we do not find any significant anti-correlation between rest equivalent width (REW) of CaII, MnII, FeII, MgII, and MgI absorptions and impact parameters. These sight lines are typically redder than those of strong MgII absorbers, with the color excess, E(B$-$V) for our sample ranging from $-$0.191 to 0.422, with a median value of 0.058. In the E(B$-$V) vs. W$_{3935}$ plane, GOTOQs occupy the same region as CaII absorbers. For a given E(B$-$V), we find larger W$_{3935}$ than what has been found in the Milky Way, probably due to a smaller dust-to-gas ratio in GOTOQs. Galaxy parameters could be measured for twelve cases, and their properties seem to follow the trends found for strong MgII absorbers. Measuring the host galaxy properties for the full sample using HST photometry or AO-assisted ground-based imaging is important to gain insights into the relationship between the stellar mass of galaxies and the metal line REW distributions at low impact parameters.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Role of ionizing background on the non-thermal broadening inferred for the aligned absorbers

Using cosmological hydrodynamical simulations at $z\sim0.5$, we measure the thermal ($b_{t}$) and non-thermal ($b_{nt}$) contribution to the line broadening for the intergalactic absorbers having \OVI\ and \HI\ absorption well aligned in the velocity space. We find that the inferred temperature based on $b_{t}$ correlates strongly with the optical depth-weighted kinetic temperature of the absorbing gas, albeit with a large scatter. We show this scatter comes from the spread in the kinetic temperature of the gas contributing to the absorption and hence depends on the feedback processes and the ionizing UV background (UVB) used in the simulations. We show the distribution of $b_{nt}$ is also affected by both feedback processes and the ionizing UVB. Therefore, $b_{nt}$ derived using aligned absorbers may not be a good probe of sub-grid turbulence. Therefore, $b_{nt}$ derived using aligned absorbers may not be a good discriminator between the effect of microscopic turbulence and UVB. Instead, the distribution of $b_{t}$ and $b_{nt}$ together with the frequency of occurrence of the aligned absorbers can be used to place additional constraints on the parameters of the simulation for a given assumed UVB.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Host galaxies of Ultra-Strong MgII absorbers at $z \sim 0.7$

We report spectroscopic identification of the host galaxies of 18 ultra-strong MgII systems (USMgII) at $0.6 \leq z \leq 0.8$. We created the largest sample by merging these with 20 host galaxies from our previous survey within $0.4 \leq z \leq 0.6$. Using this sample, we confirm that the measured impact parameters ($\rm 6.3\leq D[kpc] \leq 120$ with a median of 19 kpc) are much larger than expected, and the USMgII host galaxies do not follow the canonical $\rm W_{2796}-D$ anti-correlation. We show that the presence and significance of this anti-correlation may depend on the sample selection. The $\rm W_{2796}-D$ anti-correlation seen for the general MgII absorbers show a mild evolution at low $\rm W_{2796}$ end over the redshift range $0.4 \leq z \leq 1.5$ with an increase of the impact parameters. Compared to the host galaxies of normal MgII absorbers, USMgII host galaxies are brighter and more massive for a given impact parameter. While the USMgII systems preferentially pick star-forming galaxies, they exhibit slightly lower ongoing star-forming rates compared to main sequence galaxies with the same stellar mass, suggesting a transition from star-forming to quiescent states. For a limiting magnitude of $m_r < 23.6$, at least $29\%$ of the USMgII host galaxies are isolated, and the width of the MgII absorption in these cases may originate from gas flows (infall/outflow) in isolated halos of massive star-forming but not starbursting galaxies. We associate more than one galaxy with the absorber in $\ge 21\%$ cases where interactions may cause wide velocity spread.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Characterizing cool, neutral gas and ionized metals in the outskirts of low-z galaxy clusters

We present the first detection of cool, neutral gas in the outskirts of low-z galaxy clusters using a statistically significant sample of 3191 z$\approx$0.2 background quasar - foreground cluster pairs by cross-matching the Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive quasar catalog with optically- and SZ-selected cluster catalogs. The median cluster mass of our sample is $\approx 10^{14.2}$ M_sun, with a median impact parameter ($ρ_{cl}$) of $\approx5$ Mpc. We detect significant Lya, marginal CIV, but no OVI absorption in the signal-to-noise ratio weighted mean stacked spectra with rest-frame equivalent widths of 0.096$\pm$0.011 A, 0.032$\pm$0.015 A, and <0.009 A (3$σ$) for our sample. The Lya REW shows a declining trend with increasing $ρ_{cl}$ ($ρ_{cl}$ / $R_{500}$) which is well explained by a power-law with a slope of -0.79 (-0.70). The covering fractions (CFs) measured for Lya (21\%), CIV (10\%) and OVI (10\%) in cluster outskirts are significantly lower than in the circumgalatic medium (CGM). We also find that the CGM of galaxies that are closer to cluster centers or that are in massive clusters is considerably deficient in neutral gas. The low CF of the Lya along with the non-detection of Lya signal when the strong absorbers (N(HI) > $10^{13} cm^{-2}$) are excluded, indicate the patchy distribution of cool gas in the outskirts. We argue that the cool gas in cluster outskirts in combination arises from the circumgalactic gas stripped from cluster galaxies and to large-scale filaments feeding the clusters with cool gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Role of ionizing background and galactic feedback on the redshift space clustering of OVI absorbers in hydrodynamical simulations

We explore the effect of ionizing UV background (UVB) on the redshift space clustering of low-$\textit{z}$ ($\textit{z} \leq 0.5$) OVI absorbers using Sherwood simulations incorporating "WIND" (i.e. outflows driven by stellar feedback) only and "AGN+WIND" feedbacks. These simulations show a positive clustering signals up to a scale of 3 Mpc. We find that the effect of feedback is restricted to small scales (i.e $\leq$ 2 Mpc or 200 $\textit{kms}^{-1} $ at $\textit{z}$ ~ 0.3) and "WIND" only simulations produce stronger clustering signal compared to simulations incorporating "AGN+WIND" feedbacks. How clustering signal is affected by the assumed UVB depends on the feedback processes assumed. For the simulations considered here the effect of UVB is confined to even smaller scales (i.e <1 Mpc or $\approx 100\textit{kms}^{-1}$ at $\textit{z}$ ~ 0.3). These scales are also affected by exclusion caused by line blending. Therefore, our study suggests clustering at intermediate scales (i.e 1-2 Mpc for simulations considered here) together with the observed column density distribution can be used to constrain the effect of feedback in simulations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Role of ionizing background on the statistics of metal absorbers in hydrodynamical simulations

We study the statistical properties of O VI, C IV, and Ne VIII absorbers at low-$z$ (i.e., $z<0.5$) using Sherwood simulations with "WIND" only and "WIND+AGN" feedback and Massive black simulation that incorporates both "WIND" i.e. outflows driven by stellar feedback and AGN feedbacks. For each simulation, by considering a wide range of metagalactic ionizing UV background (UVB), we show the statistical properties such as distribution functions of column density ($N$), $b$-paramerer and velocity spread ($ΔV_{90}$), the relationship between $N$ and $b$-parameter and the fraction of Lya absorbers showing detectable metal lines as a function of $N$(H I) are influenced by the UVB used. This is because UVB changes the range in density, temperature, and metallicity of gas contributing to a given absorption line. For simulations considered here, we show the difference in some of the predicted distributions between different simulations is similar to the one obtained by varying the UVB for a given simulation. Most of the observed properties of O VI absorbers are roughly matched by Sherwood simulation with "WIND+AGN" feedback when using the UVB with a lower O VI ionization rate. However, this simulation fails to produce observed distributions of C IV and fraction of H I absorbers with detectable metals. Therefore, in order to constrain different feedback processes and/or UVBs, using observed properties of H I and metal ions, it is important to perform simultaneous analysis of various observable parameters.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Discovery of Hydrogen Radio Recombination Lines at z=0.89 towards PKS 1830-211

We report the detection of stimulated hydrogen radio recombination line (RRL) emission from ionized gas in a $z=0.89$ galaxy using 580--1670 MHz observations from the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS). The RRL emission originates in a galaxy that intercepts and strongly lenses the radio blazar PKS 1830-211 ($z=2.5$). This is the second detection of RRLs outside of the local universe and the first clearly associated with hydrogen. We detect effective H144$α$ (and H163$α$) transitions at observed frequencies of 1156 (798) MHz by stacking 17 (27) RRLs with 21$σ$ (14$σ$) significance. The RRL emission contains two main velocity components and is coincident in velocity with HI 21 cm and OH 18 cm absorption. We use the RRL spectral line energy distribution and a Bayesian analysis to constrain the density ($n_e$) and the volume-averaged pathlength ($\ell$) of the ionized gas. We determine $\log( n_e ) = 2.0_{-0.7}^{+1.0}$ cm$^{-3}$ and $\log( \ell ) = -0.7_{-1.1}^{+1.1}$ pc towards the north east (NE) lensed image, likely tracing the diffuse thermal phase of the ionized ISM in a thin disk. Towards the south west (SW) lensed image, we determine $\log( n_e ) = 3.2_{-1.0}^{+0.4}$ cm$^{-3}$ and $\log( \ell ) = -2.7_{-0.2}^{+1.8}$ pc, tracing gas that is more reminiscent of H II regions. We estimate a star formation (surface density) rate of $Σ_{\mathrm{SFR}} \sim 0.6$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-2}$ or SFR $\sim 50$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, consistent with a star-forming main sequence galaxy of $M_{\star} \sim 10^{11}$ M$_{\odot}$. The discovery presented here opens up the possibility of studying ionized gas at high redshifts using RRL observations from current and future (e.g., SKA and ngVLA) radio facilities.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Nature of the Galaxies On Top Of Quasars producing MgII absorption

Quasar-galaxy pairs at small separations are important probes of gas flows in the disk-halo interface in galaxies. We study host galaxies of 198 MgII absorbers at $0.39\le z_{abs}\le1.05$ that show detectable nebular emission lines in the SDSS spectra. We report measurements of impact parameter (5.9$\le D[kpc]\le$16.9) and absolute B-band magnitude ($-18.7\le {\rm M_B}\le -22.3$ mag) of host galaxies of 74 of these absorbers using multi-band images from the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey, more than doubling the number of known host galaxies with $D\le17$ kpc. This has allowed us to quantify the relationship between MgII rest equivalent width($W_{2796}$) and D, with best-fit parameters of $W_{2796}(D=0) = 3.44\pm 0.20$ Angstrom and an exponential scale length of 21.6$^{+2.41}_{-1.97}$ $kpc$. We find a significant anti-correlation between $M_B$ and D, and $M_B$ and $W_{2796}$, consistent with the brighter galaxies producing stronger MgII absorption. We use stacked images to detect average emissions from galaxies in the full sample. Using these images and stacked spectra, we derive the mean stellar mass ($9.4\le log(M_*/M_\odot) \le 9.8$), star formation rate ($2.3\le{\rm SFR}[M_\odot yr^{-1}] \le 4.5$), age (2.5$-$4 Gyr), metallicity (12+log(O/H)$\sim$8.3) and ionization parameter (log~q[cm s$^{-1}$]$\sim$ 7.7) for these galaxies. The average $M_*$ found is less compared to those of MgII absorbers studied in the literature. The average SFR and metallicity inferred are consistent with that expected in the main sequence and the known stellar mass-metallicity relation, respectively. High spatial resolution follow-up spectroscopic and imaging observations of this sample are imperative for probing gas flows close to the star-forming regions of high-$z$ galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

HI 21-cm absorption in radio-loud AGN with double-peaked [OIII] emission

Different physical processes in galaxy evolution, such as galaxy mergers that lead to coalescence of dual Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and outflows emanating from the narrow line region, can leave their imprint on the optical spectra of AGN in the form of double-peaked narrow emission lines. To investigate the neutral gas in the centres of such AGN, we have conducted a pilot survey of HI 21-cm absorption, using the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), in radio-loud AGN whose optical spectra show double-peaked [OIII] emission lines at z<=0.4 (median z~0.14). Among the eight sources for which we could obtain clean spectra, we detect HI 21-cm absorption in three sources (detection rate of 38(+36/-20)%) and find tentative indication of absorption in two other sources. The detection rate of HI 21-cm absorption is tentatively higher for the systems that show signatures of interaction or tidal disturbance (>~50%) in the ground-based optical images than that for the systems that appear single and undisturbed (~25%). This is consistent with the high incidence of HI 21-cm absorption observed in z<=0.2 galaxy mergers. Higher spatial resolution spectroscopy is required to confirm the origin of the HI absorbing gas, i.e. either gas infalling onto the radio-loud AGN, outflowing gas ejected by the AGN, or gas in rotation on the galactic-scale or circumnuclear discs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Emergence of a new HI 21-cm absorption component at z~1.1726 towards the gamma-ray blazar PKS~2355-106

We report the emergence of a new HI 21-cm absorption at z_abs = 1.172635 in the damped Lyman-alpha absorber (DLA) towards the gamma-ray blazar PKS 2355-106 (z_em~1.639) using science verification observations (June 2020) from the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS). Since 2006, this DLA is known to show a narrow HI 21-cm absorption at z_abs = 1.173019 coinciding with a distinct metal absorption line component. We do not detect significant HI 21-cm optical depth variations from this known HI component. A high resolution optical spectrum (August 2010) shows a distinct Mg I absorption at the redshift of the new HI 21-cm absorber. However, this component is not evident in the profiles of singly ionized species. We measure the metallicity ([Zn/H] = -(0.77\pm0.11) and [Si/H]= -(0.96\pm0.11)) and depletion ([Fe/Zn] = -(0.63\pm0.16)) for the full system. Using the apparent column density profiles of Si II, Fe II and Mg I we show that the depletion and the N(Mg I)/N(Si II) column density ratio systematically vary across the velocity range. The region with high depletion tends to have slightly larger N(Mg I)/N(Si II) ratio. The two HI 21-cm absorbers belong to this velocity range. The emergence of z_abs = 1.172635 can be understood if there is a large optical depth gradient over a length scale of ~0.35 pc. However, the gas producing the z_abs = 1.173019 component must be nearly uniform over the same scale. Systematic uncertainties introduced by the absorption line variability has to be accounted for in experiments measuring the variations of fundamental constants and cosmic acceleration even when the radio emission is apparently compact as in PKS 2355-106.

astro-ph.GA↗