The CIViL* Survey: The Discovery of a C IV Dichotomy in the CGM of L* Galaxies

TL;DR

This study reveals a clear dichotomy in C IV absorption in the circumgalactic medium of L* galaxies, strongly linked to their star formation activity, indicating a significant carbon reservoir and implications for galaxy evolution.

Contribution

The paper presents new Hubble Space Telescope observations combined with archival data, demonstrating a significant C IV absorption dichotomy between star-forming and passive L* galaxies.

Findings

Detection fraction of C IV in star-forming galaxies: 72%

Detection fraction of C IV in passive galaxies: 23%

Implying a substantial carbon reservoir in the CGM of L* galaxies

Abstract

This paper investigates C IV absorption in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of L* galaxies and its relationship with galaxy star formation rates. We present new observations from the C IV in L* survey (CIViL*; PID$\#$17076) using the Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. By combining these measurements with archival C IV data (46 observations total), we estimate detection fractions for star-forming (sSFR $>$ 10$^{-11}$ yr$^{-1}$) and passive galaxies (sSFR $\leq$ 10$^{-11}$ yr$^{-1}$) to be 72$_{-18}^{+14}$\% [21/29] and 23$_{-15}^{+27}$\% [3/13], respectively. This indicates a significant dichotomy in C IV presence between L* star-forming and passive galaxies, with over 99% confidence. This finding aligns with Tumlinson et al. (2011), which noted a similar dichotomy in O VI absorption. Our results imply a substantial carbon reservoir in the CGM of L* galaxies, suggesting a minimum carbon mass of $\gtrsim$ 3.03 $\times$ 10$^{6}$ M$_{\odot}$ out to 120 kpc. Together, these findings highlight a strong connection between star formation in galaxies and the state of their CGM, providing insight into the mechanisms governing galaxy evolution.