# The Civ Absorption–Mgii Kinematics Connection in ⟨𝑧⟩∼0.7 Galaxies

## 1. Introduction

The central and complex role of galactic gas in the star formation, dynamical, and chemical evolution of galaxies is well established. Evidence is mounting that, at the present epoch, multiphase gaseous halos are a physical extension of their host galaxy’s interstellar medium (ISM); their physical extent, spatial distribution, ionization conditions, and chemical enrichment are intimately linked to the energy density rate infused into the galaxy’s ISM by stellar winds and ionizing radiation, and by supernovae shock waves (e.g. Dahlem (1998), and references therein). One long–standing question is how the halos and ISM of earlier epoch galaxies compare or relate, in an evolutionary sense, to those of the present epoch.

Normal ($`L^{}`$) galaxies at intermediate redshifts ($`0.5z1.0`$) are seen to give rise to low ionization Mgii $`\lambda \lambda 2796,2803`$ absorption with $`W_r(2796)0.3`$ Å out to projected distances of $`40h^1`$ kpc (e.g. Steidel (1995)). A key question is whether low ionization gas at large galactocentric distances is due to infall (i.e. satellite accretion, minor mergers, intragroup or intergalactic infall), or to energetic processes in the ISM (galactic fountains, chimneys). Using high resolution Mgii profiles, Churchill, Steidel, & Vogt (1996) found no suggestive trends between low ionization gas properties and galaxy properties at $`z=0.7`$. A next logical step toward addressing this question is to explore the high ionization gas in Mgii absorption selected galaxies at these redshifts.

The Civ $`\lambda \lambda 1548,1550`$ doublet is a sensitive probe of higher ionization gas. Using Civ and Mgii, Bergeron et al. (1994) inferred multiphase ionization structure around a $`z=0.79`$ galaxy. Churchill & Charlton (1999) incorporated the Mgii kinematics and found high metallicity, multiphase absorption in a possible group of three galaxies at $`z=0.93`$. In a survey of the 3C 336 field (Q $`1622+238`$), Steidel et al. (1997) reported that $`W_r(1548)/W_r(2796)`$ appeared to be correlated with galaxy–QSO impact parameter, as expected if halo gas density decreases with galactocentric distance.

In this Letter, we present a study of Civ absorption associated with $`0.4z1.4`$ Mgii absorption–selected galaxies using Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) data available in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Archive. We compare the Civ strengths to the Mgii strengths and kinematics and (when available) to the galaxy properties.

## 2. The Data

The Mgii absorbers are selected from the HIRES/Keck sample of Churchill (1997) and Churchill et al. (1999a). The HIRES resolution is $`6`$ km s<sup>-1</sup> (Vogt et al. (1994)). The data were processed using IRAF<sup>1</sup><sup>1</sup>1IRAF is distributed by the National Optical Astronomy Observat–   
ories, which are operated by AURA, Inc., under contract to the NSF., as described in Churchill et al. (1999a). The redshifts of the individual Mgii sub–components were obtained using minfit (Churchill (1997)), a Voigt profile (VP) fitter that uses $`\chi ^2`$ minimization. For $`36`$ of the Mgii absorbers, FOS/HST (resolution $`230`$ km s<sup>-1</sup>) spectra covering Civ were available from the HST Archive. For four absorbers, Civ was taken from ground–based spectra of Steidel & Sargent (1992), and Sargent, Boksenberg, & Steidel (1988). The FOS spectra were processed using the techniques of the HST QSO Absorption Line Key Project (Schneider et al. (1993); Jannuzi et al. (1998)). For 13 systems, the absorbing galaxy impact parameters, rest–frame $`K`$ and $`B`$ luminosities, and $`BK`$ colors are available from Steidel, Dickinson, & Persson (1994), Churchill et al. (1996), and Steidel et al. (1997). We will present a more detailed account in a companion paper (Churchill et al. 1999b ).

## 3. Results

In Figure 1, we present the Mgii and Civ data for each of the 40 systems (note that the velocity scale for Mgii is 500 km s<sup>-1</sup> and for Civ is 3000 km s<sup>-1</sup>). Ticks above the HIRES spectra give the velocities of the multiple VP Mgii sub–components and ticks above the FOS data give the expected location of these components for both members of the Civ doublet. The Mgii profiles are shown in order of increasing kinematic spread from the upper left to lower right. The kinematic spread is the second velocity moment of the apparent optical depth of the Mgii $`\lambda 2796`$ profile, given by $`\omega _v^2=\tau _a(v)v^2𝑑v/\tau _a(v)𝑑v`$, where $`\tau _a(v)=\mathrm{ln}[I_c(v)/I(v)]`$, and $`I(v)`$ and $`I_c(v)`$ are the observed flux and the fitted continuum flux at velocity $`v`$, respectively. The zero–point velocity is given by the optical depth median of the Mgii $`\lambda 2796`$ profile. The kinematic spreads range from a few to $`120`$ km s<sup>-1</sup>.

In Figure 2$`a`$, we present $`W_r(1548)`$ vs. $`W_r(2796)`$, which exhibits considerable scatter. Solid data points are damped Ly$`\alpha `$ absorbers (DLAs) and candidate DLAs, based upon $`W_r(\text{Ly}\alpha )8`$ Å or $`W_r(\text{Mg}\text{ii}\lambda 2796)W_r(\text{Fe}\text{ii}\lambda 2600)1.0`$ Å (Boissé et al. (1998)).

As seen in Figure 2$`b`$, $`W_r(2796)`$ correlates with $`\omega _v`$. Significant scatter arises because $`\omega _v`$ is sensitive to the line–of–sight chance presence and equivalent width distribution of the smaller $`W_r(2796)`$, “outlying velocity” clouds (see Charlton & Churchill (1998)). The DLAs define a “saturation line”; profiles with $`W_r(2796)>0.3`$ Å along this line have saturated cores. As seen in Figure 2$`c`$, there is a tight correlation between $`\omega _v`$ and $`W_r(1548)`$. A Spearman–Kendall test, incorporating limits (LaValley, Isobe, & Feigelson (1992)), yielded a greater than 99.99% confidence level. A weighted least–squares fit to the data (dotted line through the origin and with upper limits excluded) yielded a slope of $`\omega _v65`$ km s<sup>-1</sup> per $`1`$ Å of $`W_r(1548)`$. The data exhibit a scatter of $`\sigma _{W_r}(1548)=0.22`$ Å about the fit. An essentially identical maximum likelihood fit is shown as a dashed line.

Over the interval $`35\omega _v55`$ km s<sup>-1</sup>, there are four absorbers that lack the higher ionization phase typical for their Mgii kinematic spread; they are “Civ deficient”. These systems, Q 0117+213 at $`z=1.0479`$, Q 1317+277 at $`z=0.6606`$, Q 0117+213 at $`z=0.7290`$, and Q 1329+274 at $`z=0.8936`$ (in order of decreasing $`\omega _v`$), lie $`3.3`$, $`2.9`$ $`2.5`$, and $`2.3\sigma `$ from the correlation line, respectively. As compared to other DLAs with similar $`\omega _v`$, the DLA at $`z=0.6561`$ in the field of Q $`1622+238`$ (3C 336) also appears to have a slight Civ deficiency.

## 4. Discussion

Three important observational facts are: (1) the scatter in $`W_r(1548)`$ vs. $`W_r(2796)`$ indicates that the strength of Civ absorption is not driven by the strong “central” Mgii component that dominates $`W_r(2796)`$, (2) $`\omega _v`$ is sensitive to the presence of small $`W_r(2796)`$, outlying velocity clouds, and (3) the scatter of $`W_r(2796)`$ vs. $`\omega _v`$ is large, whereas the scatter of $`W_r(1548)`$ vs. $`\omega _v`$ about the correlation line is only $`0.22`$ Å. These facts imply that, independent of the overall Mgii line–of–sight kinematics, the existence and global dynamics of smaller, kinematic “outliers” are intimately linked to the presence and physical conditions of a higher ionization phase.

It would appear that Civ is governed by the same physical processes that give rise to kinematic outlying Mgii clouds. The Civ absorption could arise due to the ionization balance in the Mgii clouds, ionization structure in the clouds, or due to multiphase structure. In most cases, multiphase structure is the likely explanation because the small $`W_r(2796)`$, single phase, outlying velocity clouds with $`b6`$ km s<sup>-1</sup> cannot produce the large observed $`W_r(1548)`$, as shown by Churchill et al. (1999a) \[also see Churchill & Charlton (1999)\].

If the Mgii clouds are accreted by infall and/or minor mergers, such that the energetics originated gravitationally (e.g. Mo & Miralda–Escudé (1996)), multiphase structure could arise from shock heating and/or merger induced star formation (e.g. Hernquist & Mihos (1995)). If, on the other hand, the absorbing gas is mechanically produced by winds from massive stars, OB associations, or from galactic fountains and chimneys, a dynamic multiphase structure could arise from shock heated ascending material that forms a high ionization layer (corona) and supports a descending lower ionization layer, which then breaks into cool, infalling clouds \[see Avillez (1999), and references therein\]. Both scenarios imply a link between galaxy star formation histories, in particular multiple episodes of elevated star formation \[but not necessarily bursting (Dahlem (1998))\], and the presence of outlying velocity Mgii clouds and strong Civ.

Infall models predict increasing cloud densities with decreasing galactocentric distance (e.g. Mo & Miralda–Escudé (1996)), resulting in an ionization gradient (clouds further out are more highly ionized). In Figure 3$`a`$, we show $`W_r(1548)/W_r(2796)`$ vs. impact parameter for 13 absorbing galaxies. There is no obvious evidence for an ionization gradient (95% confidence). However, $`W_r(1548)/W_r(2796)`$ could be sensitive to halo mass (e.g. Mo & Miralda–Escudé (1996)), to the presence of satellite galaxies (York et al. (1986)), or to the sampling of discrete clouds over a range of galactocentric distances along the line of sight. In Figure 3$`b`$, we show $`W_r(1548)/W_r(2796)`$ vs. galaxy $`BK`$ color for 11 galaxies. There is a suggested trend ($`2\sigma `$) for red galaxies (those dominated by late–type stellar populations) to have small $`W_r(1548)/W_r(2796)`$. If such a trend is confirmed in a larger data sample, it would not be incompatable with a dynamical multiphase scenario in which absorbing gas properties are linked to the host galaxy stellar populations, and therefore, star formation history.

The tight correlation between Mgii kinematics and Civ absorption may imply a self–regulating process involving both ionization conditions and kinematics in the halos of higher redshift, $`L^{}`$ galaxies (e.g. Lanzetta & Bowen (1992)), as explored by Norman & Ikeuchi (1989) and Li & Ikeuchi (1992). Perhaps outflow energetics from supernovae during periods of elevated star formation are balanced by the galactic gravitational potential well, resulting in a fairly narrow range of kinematic and multiphase ionization conditions. Such a balance might set up a high ionization Galactic–like “corona” (Savage, Sembach, & Lu (1997)) in proportion to the kinematics of gravitationally bound, cooling material. All this would imply that galaxy “coronae” have been in place since $`z1`$, that their nature primarily depends upon the host galaxy’s star formation history, and therefore morphology, environment, and stellar populations (as seen locally, e.g. Dahlem (1998)). Detailed observations of the stellar content and galactic morphologies and space–based UV high–resolution spectroscopy of high ionization absorption lines, would be central to establishing the interactive cycles between stars and gas in higher redshift galaxies.

Support for this work was provided by the NSF (AST–9617185), and NASA (NAG 5–6399 and AR–07983.01–96A) the latter from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by ARUA, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5–26555 BTJ acknowledges support from NOAO, which is operated by ARUA, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the NSF.