Exploring the gaseous halos of z>3 radio galaxies with UVES and JWST/NIRSpec

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution UVES spectroscopy and JWST/NIRSpec observations to analyze the neutral hydrogen and ionized gas in the halos of high-redshift radio galaxies, revealing absorber structures and potential outflows.

Contribution

It provides detailed absorption profiles of Lyα halos around z>3 radio galaxies and links ionized outflows with cool halo gas using combined UVES and JWST data.

Findings

Identified 6-14 absorbers per galaxy with N_HI=10^{12}-10^{17} cm^{-2}.

Most absorbers are spatially resolved over 30 kpc with minimal variation.

Detected potential outflows in ionized gas linked to cool halo gas.

Abstract

High-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) are among the most massive galaxies in the Universe and sites of extreme active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback processes, powering energetic radio jets. They are typically embedded in giant Ly$\alpha$ halos that are known to extend over $100\,\text{kpc}$ into the circumgalactic medium (CGM). In this paper, we target the Ly$\alpha$ halos around four high-redshift radio galaxies in a redshift range of 3.1 < z < 4.5 using high-resolution spectroscopy from the Ultraviolet Echelle Spectograph (UVES) at the VLT, focusing on absorption features in the Ly$\alpha$ emission that trace neutral hydrogen (HI) systems. We compare the UVES data to Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of the same targets and find that the higher spectral resolution of UVES ($\Delta v \approx 12\,\text{km} \text{s}^{-1}$) allows for a more complete identification of absorbers and reveals the splitting of deep absorbers into multiple components. We identify between 6 and 14 absorbers for each target in our sample with column densities of $N_{\text{HI}} = 10^{12}-10^{17}\,\text{cm}^{-2}$. About 70 % of the absorbers can be spatially resolved along the radio jet axis, showing minimal variation in column densities over extents of more than 30 kpc. Our results indicate that a fraction of the absorbers may be physically associated with the host systems. Complementary JWST/NIRSpec observations of two of the targets, 4C+03.24 and TNJ0205, reveal potential outflows in the ionized interstellar medium (ISM). We discuss a kinematic link between the [OIII]-emitting gas and the cool halo gas as traced by Ly$\alpha$, suggesting a common outflow origin.