On the Spatial and Kinematic Distributions of Mg II Absorbing Gas in <z>=0.7 Galaxies

Details On the Spatial and Kinematic Distributions of Mg II Absorbing Gas in <z>=0.7 Galaxies On the Spatial and Kinematic Distributions of Mg II Absorbing Gas in <z>=0.7 Galaxies

1996-05-29

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9605180v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

uuencoded: 22 pages, AASTeX file, 5 encapsulated PostScript figures; Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal; Al

Scientific paper

10.1086/177960

(Abridged) We present HIRES/Keck spectra having resolution 6 km/s of Mg II 2796 absorption profiles which arise in the gas associated with 15 identified galaxies over the redshift range 0.5 < z < 0.9. Using non-parametric rank correlation tests, we searched for correlations of the absorption strengths, saturation, and line-of-sight kinematics with the galaxy redshifts, rest frame B and K luminosities, rest colors, and impact parameters D. We found no correlations at the 2.5-sigma level between these properties. Of primary significance is the fact that the QSO-galaxy impact parameter apparently does not provide the primary distinguishing factor by which absorption properties can be characterized. The galaxy absorption properties exhibit a large scatter, which, we argue, is suggestive of a picture in which the gas arises from a variety of on-going dynamical events. Inferences from our study include: (1) The spatial distribution of absorbing gas in galaxies does not appear to follow a simple galactocentric functional dependence. (2) A single systematic kinematic model apparently cannot describe the observed velocity spreads in the absorbing gas. It is more that a heterogeneous population of sub-galaxy scale structures are giving rise to the observed cloud velocities. (3) The absorbing gas spatial distribution and kinematics may depend upon gas producing events and mechanisms that are recent to the epoch at which the absorption is observed. These distributions likely change over a few Gyr timescale. Based upon these inferences, we note that any evolution in the absorption gas properties over a larger redshift range should be directly quantifiable from a larger dataset of high-resolution absorption profiles.

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