arXiv subjects

Ramona Augustin

Publications and source records attributed to Ramona Augustin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies in Enzo (FOGGIE). IX: The Angular Momentum Evolution of Milky Way-like Galaxies and their Circumgalactic Gas

We investigate the co-evolution of the angular momentum of Milky Way-like galaxies, their circumgalactic gas, and their dark matter halos using zoom-in simulations from the Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies in Enzo (FOGGIE) suite. We examine how the magnitude and orientation of the angular momentum varies over time within the halo and between the components of mass. From z~2 to today, and in general across the simulated halos, the specific angular momenta of the central galaxies and the cool gas in their circumgalactic media (T < 10^5 K) increase together. Over that same period, the specific angular momenta of the hot (>10^6 K) and dark components of the halo change minimally. By z~1, the central galaxies have generally lost association with the angular momentum of their full dark matter halo -- both in magnitude and orientation. We find a wide distribution of angular momentum orientations in the halo, varying by up to 180 degrees over small (~tens of kpc) scales and between the different components of mass. The net angular momenta of the galaxies, their circumgalactic gas, and their dark matter halos are generally misaligned with one another at all cosmic times. The present-day orientation of the central galaxies are established at late times (after z=1), after the rates of cosmic accretion and mergers decline and the disks are able to settle and stabilize their orientation.

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arXiv2024

A galactic outflow traced by its extended Mg II emission out to a $\sim30$ kpc radius in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field with MUSE

We report the discovery of a rare Mg II $λ$$λ$ 2796, 2803 doublet emission halo around a star forming galaxy with $\log (M_\star$/M$_\odot) = 10.3 \pm 0.3$ at $z=0.737$ in deep (9.94 h) VLT/MUSE data from the MUSE-HUDF mosaic. While the central region prominently displays an absorption-dominated Mg II doublet, characterized by discernible P-Cyg features, our examination reveals a remarkably extended Mg II emission, spanning approximately $\sim30$ kpc from the central galaxy. We introduce a simple outflow radiative transfer modeling scheme based on the Sobolev approximation, and we employ a Bayesian Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) fitting to find the best-fitting parameters that match our data. The model reproduces several key features of the observed Mg II halo and allows us to constrain the kinematics and geometry of the outflowing gas. Our data are consistent with a biconical wind whose velocity increases with radius, pointing nearly towards the observer, with an opening angle of $59\pm4^{\circ}$ In general, we find that our outflow model performs better in the inner regions of the galactic wind ($\lesssim 10$ kpc $\approx 6$ half-light radii), reaching a velocity of $\sim120$ km s$^{-1}$ at 10 kpc from the central galaxy. However, discrepancies between the data and the model in the outer regions suggest the possible influence of additional mechanisms, such as inflows, satellite interactions, or turbulence, which might significantly shape the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies at larger impact parameters. This analysis underscores the complexity of galactic outflows and encourages further exploration of the processes governing the dynamics of galactic winds through spatially resolved studies of the CGM.

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arXiv2024

The Intrinsic Distribution of Lyman-$α$ Halos

The emission and escape of Lyman-$α$ photons from star-forming galaxies is determined through complex interactions between the emitted photons and a galaxy's interstellar and circumgalactic gas, causing Lyman-$α$ emitters (LAEs) to commonly appear not as point sources but in spatially extended halos with complex spectral profiles. We develop a 3D spatial-spectral model of Lyman-$α$ halos (LAHs) to replicate LAH observations in integral field spectroscopic studies, such as those made with VLT/MUSE. The profile of this model is a function of 6 key halo properties: the halo- and compact-source exponential scale lengths ($r_{sH}$ and $r_{sC}$), the halo flux fraction ($f_H$), the compact component ellipticity ($q$), the spectral line width ($σ$), and the spectral line skewness parameter ($γ$). Placing a series of model LAHs into datacubes reflecting observing conditions in the MUSE UDF-Mosaic survey, we test their detection recoverability and determine that $σ$, $r_{sH}$, and $f_H$ are expected to have the most significant effect on the detectability of the overall LAH at a given central wavelength and intrinsic line luminosity. We develop a general selection function model spanning a grid of these halo parameters, and with a sample of 145 UDF-Mosaic LAHs with measured halo properties, we derive completeness-corrected, intrinsic distributions of the values of $σ$, $r_{sH}$, and $f_H$ for $3<z<5$ LAHs. We present best-fit functional forms of the distributions, and a $σ$ distribution corrected for instrumental line-spread function (LSF) broadening, and thereby show the physical line spread distribution of the intrinsic population. Finally, we discuss implications of these distributions for Ly$α$ emission through the circumgalactic medium, finding that observations undercount LAHs with extended halo scale lengths compared to the intrinsic population.

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arXiv2024

Optical alignment of contamination-sensitive Far-Ultraviolet spectrographs for Aspera SmallSat mission

Aspera is a NASA Astrophysics Pioneers SmallSat mission designed to study diffuse OVI emission from the warm-hot phase gas in the halos of nearby galaxies. Its payload consists of two identical Rowland Circle-type long-slit spectrographs, sharing a single MicroChannel plate detector. Each spectrograph channel consists of an off-axis parabola primary mirror and a toroidal diffraction grating optimized for the 1013-1057 Angstroms bandpass. Despite the simple configuration, the optical alignment/integration process for Aspera is challenging due to tight optical alignment tolerances, driven by the compact form factor, and the contamination sensitivity of the Far-Ultraviolet optics and detectors. In this paper, we discuss implementing a novel multi-phase approach to meet these requirements using state-of-the-art optical metrology tools. For coarsely positioning the optics we use a blue-laser 3D scanner while the fine alignment is done with a Zygo interferometer and a custom computer-generated hologram. The detector focus requires iterative in-vacuum alignment using a Vacuum UV collimator. The alignment is done in a controlled cleanroom facility at the University of Arizona.

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arXiv2024

Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE) VII: The (Dis)Assembly of Stellar Halos

Over the next decade, the astronomical community will be commissioning multiple wide-field observatories well-suited for studying stellar halos in both integrated light and resolved stars. In preparation for this, we use five high-resolution cosmological simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies from the FOGGIE suite to explore the properties and components of stellar halos. These simulations are run with high time (5 Myr) and stellar mass (1000 M$_\odot$) resolution to better model the properties and origins of low density regions like stellar halos. We find that the FOGGIE stellar halos have masses, metallicity gradients, and surface brightness profiles that are consistent with observations. In agreement with other simulations, the FOGGIE stellar halos receive 30-40% of their mass from in situ stars. However, this population is more centrally concentrated in the FOGGIE simulations and therefore does not contribute excess light to the halo outskirts. The remaining stars are accreted from 10-50 other galaxies, with the majority of the accreted mass originating in 2-4 galaxies. While the inner halo ($r<50$ kpc) of each FOGGIE galaxy has a large number of contributors, the halo outskirts of three of the five galaxies are primarily made up of stars from only a few contributors. We predict that upcoming wide-field observatories, like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, will probe stellar halos around Milky Way-like galaxies out to ~100 kpc in integrated light and will be able to distinguish the debris of dwarf galaxies with extended star formation histories from the underlying halo with resolved color-magnitude diagrams.

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arXiv2024

MUSE-ALMA Haloes X: The stellar masses of gas-rich absorbing galaxies

The physical processes by which gas is accreted onto galaxies, transformed into stars and then expelled from galaxies are of paramount importance to galaxy evolution studies. Observationally constraining each of these baryonic components in the same systems however, is challenging. Furthermore, simulations indicate that the stellar mass of galaxies is a key factor influencing CGM properties. Indeed, absorption lines detected against background quasars offer the most compelling way to study the cold gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). The MUSE-ALMA Haloes survey is composed of quasar fields covered with VLT/MUSE observations, comprising 32 \ion{H}{i} absorbers at 0.2 $<$ $z$ $<$ 1.4 and 79 associated galaxies, with available or upcoming molecular gas measurements from ALMA. We use a dedicated 40-orbit HST UVIS and IR WFC3 broad-band imaging campaign to characterise the stellar content of these galaxies. By fitting their spectral energy distribution, we establish they probe a wide range of stellar masses: 8.1 $<$ log($M_*$/M$_{\odot}$) $<$ 12.4. Given their star-formation rates, most of these objects lie on the main sequence of galaxies. We also confirm a previously reported anti-correlation between the stellar masses and CGM hydrogen column density N(\ion{H}{i}), indicating an evolutionary trend where higher mass galaxies are less likely to host large amounts of \ion{H}{i} gas in their immediate vicinity up to 120 kpc. Together with other studies from the MUSE-ALMA Haloes survey, these data provide stellar masses of absorber hosts, a key component of galaxy formation and evolution, and observational constraints on the relation between galaxies and their surrounding medium.

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arXiv2023

MUSE-ALMA Haloes IX: Morphologies and Stellar Properties of Gas-rich Galaxies

Understanding how galaxies interact with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) requires determining how galaxies morphological and stellar properties correlate with their CGM properties. We report an analysis of 66 well-imaged galaxies detected in HST and VLT MUSE observations and determined to be within $\pm$500 km s$^{-1}$ of the redshifts of strong intervening quasar absorbers at $0.2 \lesssim z \lesssim 1.4$ with H I column densities $N_{\rm H I}$ $>$ $10^{18}$ $\rm cm^{-2}$. We present the geometrical properties (Sérsic indices, effective radii, axis ratios, and position angles) of these galaxies determined using GALFIT. Using these properties along with star formation rates (SFRs, estimated using the H$α$ or [O II] luminosity) and stellar masses ($M_{*}$ estimated from spectral energy distribution fits), we examine correlations among various stellar and CGM properties. Our main findings are as follows: (1) SFR correlates well with $M_{*}$, and most absorption-selected galaxies are consistent with the star formation main sequence (SFMS) of the global population. (2) More massive absorber counterparts are more centrally concentrated and are larger in size. (3) Galaxy sizes and normalized impact parameters correlate negatively with $N_{\rm H I}$, consistent with higher $N_{\rm H I}$ absorption arising in smaller galaxies, and closer to galaxy centers. (4) Absorption and emission metallicities correlate with $M_{*}$ and sSFR, implying metal-poor absorbers arise in galaxies with low past star formation and faster current gas consumption rates. (5) SFR surface densities of absorption-selected galaxies are higher than predicted by the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation for local galaxies, suggesting a higher star formation efficiency in the absorption-selected galaxies.

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arXiv2023

MUSE-ALMA Halos XI: Gas flows in the circumgalactic medium

The flow of gas into and out of galaxies leaves traces in the circumgalactic medium which can then be studied using absorption lines towards background quasars. We analyse 27 log(N_HI) > 18.0 HI absorbers at z = 0.2 to 1.4 from the MUSE-ALMA Halos survey with at least one galaxy counterpart within a line of sight velocity of +/-500 km s^{-1}. We perform 3D kinematic forward modelling of these associated galaxies to examine the flow of dense, neutral gas in the circumgalactic medium. From the VLT/MUSE, HST broadband imaging and VLT/UVES and Keck/HIRES high-resolution UV quasar spectroscopy observations, we compare the impact parameters, star-formation rates and stellar masses of the associated galaxies with the absorber properties. We find marginal evidence for a bimodal distribution in azimuthal angles for strong HI absorbers, similar to previous studies of the MgII and OVI absorption lines. There is no clear metallicity dependence on azimuthal angle and we suggest a larger sample of absorbers are required to fully test the relationship predicted by cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. A case-by-case study of the absorbers reveals that ten per cent of absorbers are consistent with gas accretion, up to 30 per cent trace outflows while the remainder trace gas in the galaxy disk, the intragroup medium and low-mass galaxies below the MUSE detection limit. Our results highlight that the baryon cycle directly affects the dense neutral gas required for star-formation and plays a critical role in galaxy evolution.

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arXiv2023

On the evolution of the size of Lyman alpha halos across cosmic time: no change in the circumgalactic gas distribution when probed by line emission

Lyman $α$ (Ly$α$) is now routinely used as a tool for studying high-redshift galaxies and its resonant nature means it can trace neutral hydrogen around star-forming galaxies. Integral field spectrograph measurements of high-redshift Ly$α$ emitters indicate that significant extended Ly$α$ halo emission is ubiquitous around such objects. We present a sample of redshift 0.23 to 0.31 galaxies observed with the Hubble Space Telescope selected to match the star formation properties of high-$z$ samples while optimizing the observations for detection of low surface brightness Ly$α$ emission. The Ly$α$ escape fractions range between 0.7\% and 37\%, and we detect extended Ly$α$ emission around six out of seven targets. We find Ly$α$ halo to UV scale length ratios around 6:1 which is marginally lower than high-redshift observations, and halo flux fractions between 60\% and 85\% -- consistent with high-redshift observations -- when using comparable methods. However, our targets show additional extended stellar UV emission: we parametrize this with a new double exponential model. We find that this parametrization does not strongly affect the observed Ly$α$ halo fractions. We find that deeper H$α$ data would be required to firmly determine the origin of Ly$α$ halo emission, however, there are indications that H$α$ is more extended than the central FUV profile, potentially indicating conditions favorable for the escape of ionizing radiation. We discuss our results in the context of high-redshift galaxies, cosmological simulations, evolutionary studies of the circumgalactic medium in emission, and the emission of ionizing radiation.

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arXiv2023

Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE) VI: The Circumgalactic Medium of $L^*$ Galaxies is Supported in an Emergent, Non-Hydrostatic Equilibrium

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is often assumed to exist in or near hydrostatic equilibrium with the regulation of accretion and the effects of feedback treated as perturbations to a stable balance between gravity and thermal pressure. We investigate global hydrostatic equilibrium in the CGM using four highly-resolved $L^*$ galaxies from the Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE) project. The FOGGIE simulations were specifically targeted at fine spatial and mass resolution in the CGM ($Δx \lesssim 1$ kpc $h^{-1}$ and $M \simeq 200M_\odot$). We develop a new analysis framework that calculates the forces provided by thermal pressure gradients, turbulent pressure gradients, ram pressure gradients of large-scale radial bulk flows, centrifugal rotation, and gravity acting on the gas in the CGM. Thermal and turbulent pressure gradients vary strongly on scales of $\lesssim5$ kpc throughout the CGM. Thermal pressure gradients provide the main supporting force only beyond $\sim 0.25R_{200}$, or $\sim50$ kpc at $z=0$. Within $\sim0.25R_{200}$, turbulent pressure gradients and rotational support provide stronger forces than thermal pressure. More generally, we find that global equilibrium models are neither appropriate nor predictive for the small scales probed by absorption line observations of the CGM. Local conditions generally cannot be derived by assuming a global equilibrium, but an emergent global equilibrium balancing radially inward and outward forces is obtained when averaging over the non-equilibrium local conditions on large scales in space and time. Approximate hydrostatic equilibrium holds only at large distances from galaxies even when averaging out small-scale variations.

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arXiv2022

MUSE-ALMA Haloes VIII: Statistical Study of Circumgalactic Medium Gas

The distribution of gas and metals in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) plays a critical role in how galaxies evolve. The MUSE-ALMA Halos survey combines MUSE, ALMA and HST observations to constrain the properties of the multi-phase gas in the CGM and the galaxies associated with the gas probed in absorption. In this paper, we analyse the properties of galaxies associated with 32 strong \ion{H}{i} Ly-$α$ absorbers at redshift $0.2 \lesssim z \lesssim 1.4$. We detect 79 galaxies within $\pm 500$ \kms \!of the absorbers in our 19 MUSE fields. These associated galaxies are found at physical distances from 5.7 kpc and reach star-formation rates as low as $0.1$ \Moyr. The significant number of associated galaxies allows us to map their physical distribution on the $Δv$ and $b$ plane. Building on previous studies, we examine the physical and nebular properties of these associated galaxies and find the following: i) 27/32 absorbers have galaxy counterparts and more than 50 per cent of the absorbers have two or more associated galaxies, ii) the \ion{H}{i} column density of absorbers is anti-correlated with the impact parameter (scaled by virial radius) of the nearest galaxy as expected from simulations, iii) the metallicity of associated galaxies is typically larger than the absorber metallicity which decreases at larger impact parameters. It becomes clear that while strong \ion{H}{i} absorbers are typically associated with more than a single galaxy, we can use them to statistically map the gas and metal distribution in the CGM.

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arXiv2022

MUSE-ALMA Haloes VII: Survey Science Goals & Design, Data Processing and Final Catalogues

The gas cycling in the circumgalactic regions of galaxies is known to be multi-phase. The MUSE-ALMA Haloes survey gathers a large multi-wavelength observational sample of absorption and emission data with the goal to significantly advance our understanding of the physical properties of such CGM gas. A key component of the MUSE-ALMA Haloes survey is the multi-facility observational campaign conducted with VLT/MUSE, ALMA and HST. MUSE-ALMA Haloes targets comprise 19 VLT/MUSE IFS quasar fields, including 32 $z_{\rm abs}<$0.85 strong absorbers with measured N$_{HI}$ $\geq 10^{18}$ cm$^{\rm -2}$ from UV-spectroscopy. We additionally use a new complementary HST medium program to characterise the stellar content of the galaxies through a 40-orbit three-band UVIS and IR WFC3 imaging. Beyond the absorber-selected targets, we detect 3658 sources all fields combined, including 703 objects with spectroscopic redshifts. This galaxy-selected sample constitutes the main focus of the current paper. We have secured millimeter ALMA observations of some of the fields to probe the molecular gas properties of these objects. Here, we present the overall survey science goals, target selection, observational strategy, data processing and source identification of the full sample. Furthermore, we provide catalogues of magnitude measurements for all objects detected in VLT/MUSE, ALMA and HST broad-band images and associated spectroscopic redshifts derived from VLT/MUSE observations. Together, this data set provides robust characterisation of the neutral atomic gas, molecular gas and stars in the same objects resulting in the baryon census of condensed matter in complex galaxy structures.

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arXiv2021

Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE) V: The Virial Temperature Does Not Describe Gas in a Virialized Galaxy Halo

The classical definition of the virial temperature of a galaxy halo excludes a fundamental contribution to the energy partition of the halo: the kinetic energy of non-thermal gas motions. Using simulations of low-redshift, $\sim L^*$ galaxies from the FOGGIE project (Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo) that are optimized to resolve low-density gas, we show that the kinetic energy of non-thermal motions is roughly equal to the energy of thermal motions. The simulated FOGGIE halos have $\sim 2\times$ lower bulk temperatures than expected from a classical virial equilibrium, owing to significant non-thermal kinetic energy that is formally excluded from the definition of $T_\mathrm{vir}$. We derive a modified virial temperature explicitly including non-thermal gas motions that provides a more accurate description of gas temperatures for simulated halos in virial equilibrium. Strong bursts of stellar feedback drive the simulated FOGGIE halos out of virial equilibrium, but the halo gas cannot be accurately described by the standard virial temperature even when in virial equilibrium. Compared to the standard virial temperature, the cooler modified virial temperature implies other effects on halo gas: (i) the thermal gas pressure is lower, (ii) radiative cooling is more efficient, (iii) O VI absorbing gas that traces the virial temperature may be prevalent in halos of a higher mass than expected, (iv) gas mass estimates from X-ray surface brightness profiles may be incorrect, and (v) turbulent motions make an important contribution to the energy balance of a galaxy halo.

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arXiv2021

Clumpiness of Observed and Simulated Cold Circumgalactic Gas

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 $z_{\rm abs}$=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 $\geq$ 4.6 $\pm$ {1.5} $\rm M_{\odot}$/yr and $M_{*}=10^{9.6\pm0.2} M_{\odot}$. Based on this combined analysis, we determine that the absorber is consistent with being an inflowing filament. The $z_{\rm abs}$=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.

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arXiv2021

MUSE-ALMA Halos VI: Coupling Atomic, Ionised & Molecular Gas Kinematics of Galaxies

We present results of MUSE-ALMA Halos, an ongoing study of the Circumgalactic Medium (CGM) of galaxies ($z \leq$ 1.4). Using multi-phase observations we probe the neutral, ionised and molecular gas in a sub-sample containing six absorbers and nine associated galaxies in the redshift range $z \sim 0.3-0.75$. Here, we give an in-depth analysis of the newly CO-detected galaxy Q2131-G1 ($z=0.42974$), while providing stringent mass and depletion time limits for the non-detected galaxies. Q2131-G1 is associated with an absorber with column densities of $\textrm{log}(N_\textrm{HI}/\textrm{cm}^{-2}) \sim 19.5$ and $\textrm{log}(N_{\textrm{H}_2}/\textrm{cm}^{-2}) \sim 16.5$, has a star formation rate of $\textrm{SFR} = 2.00 \pm 0.20 \; \textrm{M}_{\odot} \textrm{yr}^{-1}$, a dark matter fraction of $f_\textrm{DM}(r_{1/2}) = 0.24 - 0.54$ and a molecular gas mass of $M_\textrm{mol} = 3.52 ^{+3.95}_{-0.31} \times 10^9 \; \textrm{M}_{\odot}$ resulting in a depletion time of $τ_\textrm{dep} < 4.15 \; \textrm{Gyr}$. Kinematic modelling of both the CO (3--2) and [OIII] $λ5008$ emission lines of Q2131-G1 shows that the molecular and ionised gas phases are well aligned directionally and that the maximum rotation velocities closely match. These two gas phases within the disk are strongly coupled. The metallicity, kinematics and orientation of the atomic and molecular gas traced by a two-component absorption feature is consistent with being part of the extended rotating disk with a well-separated additional component associated with infalling gas. Compared to emission-selected samples, we find that HI-selected galaxies have high molecular gas masses given their low star formation rate. We consequently derive high depletion times for these objects.

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arXiv2020

FIREBall-2: The Faint Intergalactic Medium Redshifted Emission Balloon Telescope

The Faint Intergalactic Medium Redshifted Emission Balloon (FIREBall) is a mission designed to observe faint emission from the circumgalactic medium of moderate redshift (z~0.7) galaxies for the first time. FIREBall observes a component of galaxies that plays a key role in how galaxies form and evolve, likely contains a significant amount of baryons, and has only recently been observed at higher redshifts in the visible. Here we report on the 2018 flight of the FIREBall-2 Balloon telescope, which occurred on September 22nd, 2018 from Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The flight was the culmination of a complete redesign of the spectrograph from the original FIREBall fiber-fed IFU to a wide-field multi-object spectrograph. The flight was terminated early due to a hole in the balloon, and our original science objectives were not achieved. The overall sensitivity of the instrument and telescope was 90,000 LU, due primarily to increased noise from stray light. We discuss the design of the FIREBall-2 spectrograph, modifications from the original FIREBall payload, and provide an overview of the performance of all systems. We were able to successfully flight test a new pointing control system, a UV-optimized, delta-doped and coated EMCCD, and an aspheric grating. The FIREBall-2 team is rebuilding the payload for another flight attempt in the Fall of 2021, delayed from 2020 due to COVID-19.

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arXiv2020

Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies in Enzo (FOGGIE). III. The Mocky Way: Investigating Biases in Observing the Milky Way's Circumgalactic Medium

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) of the Milky Way is mostly obscured by nearby gas in position-velocity space because we reside inside the Galaxy. Substantial biases exist in most studies on the Milky Way's CGM that focus on easier-to-detect high-velocity gas. With mock observations on a Milky-Way analog from the FOGGIE simulation, we investigate four observational biases related to the Milky Way's CGM. First, QSO absorption-line studies probe a limited amount of the CGM mass: only 35% of the mass is at high Galactic latitudes $|b|>20$ degrees, of which only half is moving at $|v_{\rm LSR}|\gtrsim100$ km s$^{-1}$. Second, the inflow rate ($\dot{M}$) of the cold gas observable in HI 21cm is reduced by a factor of $\sim10$ as we switch from the local standard of rest to the galaxy's rest frame; meanwhile $\dot{M}$ of the cool and warm gas does not change significantly. Third, OVI and NV are promising ions to probe the Milky Way's outer CGM ($r\gtrsim$15 kpc), but CIV may be less sensitive. Lastly, the scatter in ion column density is a factor of 2 higher if the CGM is observed from inside-out than from external views because of the gas radial density profile. Our work highlights that observations of the Milky Way's CGM, especially those using HI 21cm and QSO absorption lines, are highly biased. We demonstrate that these biases can be quantified and calibrated through synthetic observations with simulated Milky-Way analogs.

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arXiv2020

Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE). IV. The Stochasticity of Ram Pressure Stripping in Galactic Halos

We study ram pressure stripping in simulated Milky Way-like halos at z>=2 from the Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE) project. These simulations reach exquisite resolution in their circumgalactic medium (CGM) gas owing to FOGGIE's novel refinement scheme. The CGM of each halo spans a wide dynamic range in density and velocity over its volume---roughly 6 dex and 1000 km/s, respectively---translating into a 5 dex range in ram pressure imparted to interacting satellites. The ram pressure profiles of the simulated CGM are highly stochastic, owing to kpc-scale variations of the density and velocity fields of the CGM gas. As a result, the efficacy of ram pressure stripping depends strongly on the specific path a satellite takes through the CGM. The ram-pressure history of a single satellite is generally unpredictable and not well correlated with its approach vector with respect to the host galaxy. The cumulative impact of ram pressure on the simulated satellites is dominated by only a few short strong impulses---on average, 90% of the total surface momentum gained through ram pressure is imparted in 20% or less of the total orbital time. These results reveal an erratic mode of ram pressure stripping in Milky-Way like halos at high redshift---one that is not captured by a smooth spherically-averaged model of the circumgalactic medium.

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