On the connection between the metal-enriched intergalactic medium and galaxies: an O VI–galaxy cross-correlation study at z < 1

Finn, C.W.; Morris, S.L.; Tejos, N.; Crighton, N.H.M.; Perry, R.; Fumagalli, M.; Bielby, R.; Theuns, T.; Schaye, J.; Shanks, T.; Liske, J.; Gunawardhana, M.L.P.; Bartle, S.

doi:10.1093/mnras/stw918

On the connection between the metal-enriched intergalactic medium and galaxies: an O VI–galaxy cross-correlation study at z < 1

Finn, C.W.; Morris, S.L.; Tejos, N.; Crighton, N.H.M.; Perry, R.; Fumagalli, M.; Bielby, R.; Theuns, T.; Schaye, J.; Shanks, T.; Liske, J.; Gunawardhana, M.L.P.; Bartle, S.

Authors

C.W. Finn

Professor Simon Morris simon.morris@durham.ac.uk
Professor

N. Tejos

N.H.M. Crighton

R. Perry

Professor Michele Fumagalli michele.fumagalli@durham.ac.uk
Academic Visitor

R. Bielby

Professor Tom Theuns tom.theuns@durham.ac.uk
Professor

J. Schaye

T. Shanks

J. Liske

M.L.P. Gunawardhana

S. Bartle

Abstract

We present new results on the auto- and cross-correlation functions of galaxies and O VI absorbers in a ∼18 Gpc3 comoving volume at z < 1. We use a sample of 51 296 galaxies and 140 O VI absorbers in the column density range 13 ≲ log N ≲ 15 to measure two-point correlation functions in the two dimensions transverse and orthogonal to the line of sight ξ(r⊥, r∥). We furthermore infer the corresponding ‘real-space’ correlation functions, ξ(r), by projecting ξ(r⊥, r∥) along r∥, and assuming a power-law form, ξ(r) = (r/r0)−γ. Comparing the results from the absorber-galaxy cross-correlation function, ξag, the galaxy autocorrelation function, ξgg, and the absorber autocorrelation function, ξaa, we constrain the statistical connection between galaxies and the metal-enriched intergalactic medium as a function of star formation activity. We also compare these results to predictions from the EAGLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulation and find a reasonable agreement. We find that: (i) O VI absorbers show very little velocity dispersion with respect to galaxies on ∼ Mpc scales, likely ≲100 km s−1; (ii) O VI absorbers are less clustered, and potentially more extended around galaxies than galaxies are around themselves; (iii) on ≳100 kpc scales, the likelihood of finding O VI absorbers around star-forming galaxies is similar to the likelihood of finding O VI absorbers around non-star-forming galaxies; and (iv) O VI absorbers are either not ubiquitous to galaxies in our sample, or their distribution around them is patchy on scales ≳100 kpc (or both), at least for the column densities at which most are currently detected.

Citation

Finn, C., Morris, S., Tejos, N., Crighton, N., Perry, R., Fumagalli, M., …Bartle, S. (2016). On the connection between the metal-enriched intergalactic medium and galaxies: an O VI–galaxy cross-correlation study at z < 1. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 460(1), 590-616. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw918

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 18, 2016
Online Publication Date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication Date	Jul 21, 2016
Deposit Date	May 24, 2016
Publicly Available Date	May 31, 2016
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN	0035-8711
Electronic ISSN	1365-2966
Publisher	Royal Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	460
Issue	1
Pages	590-616
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw918

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This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2016 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.