O VI Absorbers Tracing Hot Gas Associated with a Pair of Galaxies at z = 0.167

TL;DR

This study uses high-quality UV spectra to analyze a complex, multi-phase gas system near two galaxies at z=0.167, revealing hot, collisionally ionized circumgalactic gas traced by broad O VI absorption.

Contribution

It provides detailed characterization of the circumgalactic medium around a galaxy pair at low redshift using high S/N observations, identifying a new class of low-z IGM absorbers with hot, collisionally ionized gas.

Findings

Detection of broad, symmetric O VI indicating hot gas (log T ~ 5.8-6.2).

Identification of a complex, multi-phase absorber with high and low ionization states.

Evidence for turbulent interfaces between cool and hot gas similar to Galactic HVCs.

Abstract

High signal-to-noise (S/N) observations of the QSO PKS 0405-123 (zem = 0.572) with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph from 1134 to 1796 A with a resolution of 17 km s-1 are used to study the multi-phase partial Lyman limit system (LLS) at z = 0.16716 which has previously been studied using relatively low S/N spectra from STIS and FUSE. The LLS and an associated H I-free broad O VI absorber likely originate in the circumgalactic gas associated with a pair of galaxies at z = 0.1688 and 0.1670 with impact parameters of 116 h70-1 and 99 h70-1. The broad and symmetric O VI absorption is detected in the z = 0.16716 restframe with v = -278 +/- 3 km s-1, log N(O VI) = 13.90 +/- 0.03 and b = 52 +/- 2 km s-1. This absorber is not detected in H I or other species with the possible exception of N V . The broad, symmetric O VI profile and absence of corresponding H I absorption indicates that the circumgalactic gas in which the collisionally ionized O VI arises is hot (log T ~ 5.8-6.2). The absorber may represent a rare but important new class of low z IGM absorbers. The LLS has strong asymmetrical O VI absorption with log N(O VI) = 14.72 +/- 0.02 spanning a velocity range from -200 to +100 km s-1. The high and low ions in the LLS have properties resembling those found for Galactic highly ionized HVCs where the O VI is likely produced in the conductive and turbulent interfaces between cool and hot gas.