MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) - I: Survey design and the environment of a near pristine gas cloud at z approximate to 3.5
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MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) - I : Survey design and the environment of a near pristine gas cloud at z approximate to 3.5. / Lofthouse, Emma K.; Fumagalli, Michele; Fossati, Matteo; O'Meara, John M.; Murphy, Michael T.; Christensen, Lise; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Cantalupo, Sebastiano; Bielby, Richard M.; Cooke, Ryan J.; Lusso, Elisabeta; Morris, Simon L.
In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 491, No. 2, 02.01.2020, p. 2057-2074.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) - I
T2 - Survey design and the environment of a near pristine gas cloud at z approximate to 3.5
AU - Lofthouse, Emma K.
AU - Fumagalli, Michele
AU - Fossati, Matteo
AU - O'Meara, John M.
AU - Murphy, Michael T.
AU - Christensen, Lise
AU - Prochaska, J. Xavier
AU - Cantalupo, Sebastiano
AU - Bielby, Richard M.
AU - Cooke, Ryan J.
AU - Lusso, Elisabeta
AU - Morris, Simon L.
PY - 2020/1/2
Y1 - 2020/1/2
N2 - We present the design, methods, and first results of the MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) survey, a large programme on the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which targets 28 z > 3.2 quasars to investigate the connection between optically thick gas and galaxies at z similar to 3-4. MAGG maps the environment of 52 strong absorption line systems at z greater than or similar to 3, providing the first statistical sample of galaxies associated with gas-rich structures in the early Universe. In this paper, we study the galaxy population around a very metal poor gas cloud at z approximate to 3.53 towards the quasar J124957.23-015928.8. We detect three Ly alpha emitters within less than or similar to 200 km s(-1) of the cloud redshift, at projected separations less than or similar to 185 kpc (physical). The presence of star-forming galaxies near a very metal-poor cloud indicates that metal enrichment is still spatially inhomogeneous at this redshift. Based on its very low metallicity and the presence of nearby galaxies, we propose that the most likely scenario for this Lyman Limit System (LLS) is that it lies within a filament which may be accreting on to a nearby galaxy. Taken together with the small number of other LLSs studied with MUSE, the observations to date show a range of different environments near strong absorption systems. The full MAGG survey will significantly expand this sample and enable a statistical analysis of the link between gas and galaxies to pin down the origin of these diverse environments at z approximate to 3-4.
AB - We present the design, methods, and first results of the MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) survey, a large programme on the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which targets 28 z > 3.2 quasars to investigate the connection between optically thick gas and galaxies at z similar to 3-4. MAGG maps the environment of 52 strong absorption line systems at z greater than or similar to 3, providing the first statistical sample of galaxies associated with gas-rich structures in the early Universe. In this paper, we study the galaxy population around a very metal poor gas cloud at z approximate to 3.53 towards the quasar J124957.23-015928.8. We detect three Ly alpha emitters within less than or similar to 200 km s(-1) of the cloud redshift, at projected separations less than or similar to 185 kpc (physical). The presence of star-forming galaxies near a very metal-poor cloud indicates that metal enrichment is still spatially inhomogeneous at this redshift. Based on its very low metallicity and the presence of nearby galaxies, we propose that the most likely scenario for this Lyman Limit System (LLS) is that it lies within a filament which may be accreting on to a nearby galaxy. Taken together with the small number of other LLSs studied with MUSE, the observations to date show a range of different environments near strong absorption systems. The full MAGG survey will significantly expand this sample and enable a statistical analysis of the link between gas and galaxies to pin down the origin of these diverse environments at z approximate to 3-4.
KW - galaxies: evolution
KW - galaxies: formation
KW - galaxies: haloes
KW - galaxies: high-redshift
KW - quasars: absorption lines
KW - LY-ALPHA-EMISSION
KW - STAR-FORMING GALAXIES
KW - LBG REDSHIFT SURVEY
KW - CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM
KW - ECHELLE SPECTROGRAPH
KW - INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM
KW - EMITTING GALAXIES
KW - ABSORPTION
KW - QUASAR
KW - ACCRETION
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stz3066
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stz3066
M3 - Journal article
VL - 491
SP - 2057
EP - 2074
JO - Royal Astronomical Society. Monthly Notices
JF - Royal Astronomical Society. Monthly Notices
SN - 0035-8711
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 248237870