Metallicity distributions in and around galaxies

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent observational and theoretical advances in understanding the distribution of metals across various baryonic environments in and around galaxies, highlighting the importance of element abundances in cosmic baryon evolution.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress and future prospects in studying metallicity distributions in galactic environments, emphasizing the impact of feedback schemes.

Findings

Metallicity distributions vary significantly with feedback models.

Recent observations have improved understanding of metal distribution in different gas phases.

Theoretical models highlight the importance of feedback in metal dispersal.

Abstract

Metals are found in all baryonic phases and environments, and our knowledge of their distribution `in and around galaxies' has significantly improved over the past few years. Theoretical work has shown that the fraction of metals in different baryonic components can vary significantly when different feedback schemes are adopted. Therefore, studies of element abundances provide important information about all gas-dynamical processes which determine the cosmic evolution of baryons. I give here a brief review of recent observational progress, describe the implications of recent theoretical studies, and discuss briefly future prospects.