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The MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF). II. Survey design and the gaseous properties of galaxy groups at 0.5 < z < 1.5

Fossati, M; Fumagalli, M; Lofthouse, EK; D’Odorico, V; Lusso, E; Cantalupo, S; Cooke, RJ; Cristiani, S; Haardt, F; Morris, SL; Peroux, C; Prichard, LJ; Rafelski, M; Smail, I; Theuns, T

The MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF). II. Survey design and the gaseous properties of galaxy groups at 0.5 < z < 1.5 Thumbnail


Authors

M Fossati

EK Lofthouse

V D’Odorico

E Lusso

S Cantalupo

S Cristiani

F Haardt

C Peroux

LJ Prichard

M Rafelski



Abstract

We present the goals, design, and first results of the MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF) survey, a large programme using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the ESO Very Large Telescope. The MUDF survey is collecting ≈150 h on-source of integral field optical spectroscopy in a 1.5 × 1.2 arcmin2 region which hosts several astrophysical structures along the line of sight, including two bright z ≈ 3.2 quasars with close separation (≈500 kpc). Following the description of the data reduction procedures, we present the analysis of the galaxy environment and gaseous properties of seven groups detected at redshifts 0.5 < z < 1.5, spanning a large dynamic range in halo mass, log(Mh/M⊙)≈11−13.5⁠. For four of the groups, we find associated Mg II absorbers tracing cool gas in high-resolution spectroscopy of the two quasars, including one case of correlated absorption in both sightlines at distance ≈480 kpc. The absorption strength associated with the groups is higher than what has been reported for more isolated galaxies of comparable mass and impact parameters. We do not find evidence for widespread cool gas giving rise to strong absorption within these groups. Combining these results with the distribution of neutral and ionized gas seen in emission in lower redshift groups, we conclude that gravitational interactions in the group environment strip gas from the galaxy haloes into the intragroup medium, boosting the cross-section of cool gas and leading to the high fraction of strong Mg II absorbers that we detect.

Citation

Fossati, M., Fumagalli, M., Lofthouse, E., D’Odorico, V., Lusso, E., Cantalupo, S., …Theuns, T. (2019). The MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF). II. Survey design and the gaseous properties of galaxy groups at 0.5 < z < 1.5. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 490(1), 1451-1469. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz2693

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 17, 2019
Online Publication Date Oct 7, 2019
Publication Date Nov 30, 2019
Deposit Date Dec 6, 2019
Publicly Available Date Dec 6, 2019
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 490
Issue 1
Pages 1451-1469
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz2693

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Copyright Statement
This article has been accepted for publication in the Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2019 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.





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