ALMA observations of a metal-rich damped Ly{\alpha} absorber at z = 2.5832: evidence for strong galactic winds in a galaxy group

TL;DR

This study investigates a high-metallicity Damped Ly-alpha Absorber at z=2.5832, finding no CO emission from its galaxy but detecting CO from a nearby star-forming galaxy, suggesting galactic winds extend over 100 kpc in a galaxy group.

Contribution

First detection of extended galactic outflows beyond 100 kpc in a high-redshift galaxy group environment using CO observations.

Findings

No CO emission from the DLA galaxy counterpart.

Detection of CO emission from a nearby star-forming galaxy.

Evidence of galactic winds extending over 100 kpc.

Abstract

We report on the results of a search for CO(3-2) emission from the galaxy counterpart of a high-metallicity Damped Ly-alpha Absorber (DLA) at z=2.5832 towards the quasar Q0918+1636. We do not detect CO emission from the previously identified DLA galaxy counterpart. The limit we infer on M_gas / M_star is in the low end of the range found for DLA galaxies, but is still consistent with what is found for other star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts. Instead we detect CO(3-2) emission from another intensely star-forming galaxy at an impact parameter of 117 kpc from the line-of-sight to the quasar and 131 km s^-1 redshifted relative to the velocity centroid of the DLA in the quasar spectrum. In the velocity profile of the low- and high-ionisation absorption lines of the DLA there is an absorption component consistent with the redshift of this CO-emitting galaxy. It is plausible that this component is physically associated with a strong outflow in the plane of the sky from the CO-emitting galaxy. If true, this would be further evidence, in addition to what is already known from studies of Lyman-break galaxies, that galactic outflows can be traced beyond 100 kpc from star-forming galaxies. The case of this z=2.583 structure is an illustration of this in a group environment.