Probing Outflows in z= 1~2 Galaxies through FeII/FeII* Multiplets

TL;DR

This study uses FeII/FeII* multiplets in UV spectra of z=1-2.6 star-forming galaxies to investigate galactic outflows, revealing differences in outflow velocities and spatial distribution of gas near galaxy disks.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the kinematic structure of galactic outflows using FeII/FeII* lines as probes, highlighting their diagnostic potential.

Findings

FeII and MgII lines are blueshifted, indicating outflows.

FeII lines show lower outflow velocities than MgII.

FeII clouds are located close to galaxy disks, within 3-4 kpc.

Abstract

We report on a study of the 2300-2600\AA FeII/FeII* multiplets in the rest-UV spectra of star-forming galaxies at 1.0<z<2.6 as probes of galactic-scale outflows. We extracted a mass-limited sample of 97 galaxies at z~1.0-2.6 from ultra-deep spectra obtained during the GMASS spetroscopic survey in the GOODS South field with the VLT and FORS2. We obtain robust measures of the rest equivalent width of the FeII absorption lines down to a limit of W_r>1.5 \AA and of the FeII* emission lines to W_r>0.5 \AA. Whenever we can measure the systemic redshift of the galaxies from the [OII] emission line, we find that both the FeII and MgII absorption lines are blueshifted, indicative that both species trace gaseous outflows. We also find, however, that the FeII gas has generally lower outflow velocity relative to that of MgII. We investigate the variation of FeII line profiles as a function of the radiative transfer properties of the lines, and find that transitions with higher oscillator strengths are more blueshifted in terms of both line centroids and line wings. We discuss the possibility that FeII lines are suppressed by stellar absorptions. The lower velocities of the FeII lines relative to the MgII doublet, as well as the absence of spatially extended FeII* emission in 2D stacked spectra, suggest that most clouds responsible for the FeII absorption lie close (3~4 kpc) to the disks of galaxies. We show that the FeII/FeII* multiplets offer unique probes of the kinematic structure of galactic outflows.