The Evolution of the Circumgalactic Medium after a starburst in DESI Post-Starburst Galaxies

Abstract

We present a statistical study of the cool circumgalactic medium (CGM) around massive post-starburst galaxies, traced by Mg II $λ\lambda2796,2803$ absorption in background quasar spectra from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Release 2. Cross-matching ~1.98 million quasar sightlines with luminous red galaxies at $0.4 < z < 0.76$ with stellar masses between $10.6 < \log_{10}(M_*/\mathrm{M}_\odot) < 12$ yields ~143 million galaxy-quasar pairs, 50-60 times more per impact-parameter bin than our previous SDSS-based analysis. We stack the Mg II absorption as a function of projected separation and classify the foreground galaxies using mean-field independent component analysis (MFICA), further subdividing the post-starburst population into sub-samples ordered by time since the starburst. The mean Mg II equivalent width declines with impact parameter for every class. Post-starburst galaxies show the strongest absorption of any spectral class, reaching $W_{\rm MgII} = 1.58 \pm 0.32$ Å within 71 kpc, well above star-forming ($0.69 \pm 0.15$ Å) and quiescent ($0.22 \pm 0.05$ Å) galaxies of comparable stellar mass at the same projected separation. Within the post-starburst phase the absorption profile evolves systematically: the youngest systems show the highest, most centrally concentrated absorption and the steepest radial decline, whereas progressively older systems show weaker inner absorption and enhanced absorption at intermediate radii (~300-1000 kpc). Independent Bagpipes star-formation-history fitting confirms that this ordering corresponds to an ageing sequence. We interpret this evolution as the outward redistribution of cool gas expelled by feedback-driven winds, consistent with characteristic outflow velocities of a few hundred km s$^{-1}$, with a residual inner cool-gas reservoir persisting throughout the post-starburst phase.