Probing the intergalactic medium/galaxy connection. V. on the origin of Lyα and O VI absorption at z < 0.2

Abstract

We analyze the association of galaxies with Lyα and O VI absorption, the most commonly detected transitions of the low-z intergalactic medium (IGM), in the fields of 14 quasars with z em = 0.06-0.57. Confirming previous studies, we observe a high covering fraction for Lyα absorption to impact parameter ρ = 300h -172kpc: 33/37 of our L > 0.01 L* galaxies show Lyα equivalent width W Lyα ≥ 50m. Galaxies of all luminosity L > 0.01 L* and spectral type are surrounded by a diffuse and ionized circumgalactic medium (CGM), whose baryonic mass is estimated at ∼1010.5±0.3 M ⊙ for a constant N H = 1019 cm -2. The virialized halos and extended CGM of present-day galaxies are responsible for most strong Lyα absorbers (W Lyα > 300m) but cannot reproduce the majority of observed lines in the Lyα forest. We conclude that the majority of Lyα absorption with W Lyα = 30-300m occurs in the cosmic web predicted by cosmological simulations and estimate a characteristic width for these filaments of 400h -172kpc. Regarding O VI, we observe a near unity covering fraction to ρ = 200h -172kpc for L > 0.1 L* galaxies and to ρ = 300h -172kpc for sub-L* (0.1 L* < L < L*) galaxies. Similar to our Lyα results, stronger O VI systems (W 1031 > 70m) arise in the virialized halos of L > 0.1 L* galaxies. Unlike Lyα, the weaker O VI systems (W 1031 30m) arise in the extended CGM of sub-L* galaxies. The majority of O VI gas observed in the low-z IGM is associated with a diffuse medium surrounding individual galaxies with L 0.3 L* and rarely originates in the so-called warm-hot IGM (predicted by cosmological simulations. © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.