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High Metallicity, Photoionised Gas in Intergalactic Large-Scale Filaments

Bastien Aracil·Todd M. Tripp·David V. Bowen·Jason X. Proschaska·Hsiao-Wen Chen·Brenda L. Frye
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Abstract

We present high-resolution UV spectra of absorption-line systems toward the low-z QSO HS0624+6907 (z=0.3700). Coupled with spectroscopic galaxy redshifts, we find that many of these absorbers are integalactic gas clouds distributed within large-scale structures. The gas is cool (T<10^5 K) and has relatively high metallicity (Z/Z_sol>0.9). STIS data reveal a cluster of 13 HI Lyman alpha lines within a 1000 km/s interval at z=0.0635. We find 10 galaxies at this redshift with impact parameters ranging from 135 h^-1 kpc to 1.37 h^-1 Mpc. We attribute the HI Lya absorptions to intragroup medium gas, possibly from a large-scale filament viewed along its long axis. Remarkably, the metallicity is near-solar, [M/H] = -0.05 +/- 0.4 (2 sigma uncertainty), yet the nearest galaxy which might pollute the IGM is at least 135 h_70^-1 kpc away. Tidal stripping from nearby galaxies appears to be the most likely origin of this highly enriched, cool gas. More than six Abell galaxy clusters are found within 4 degree of the sight line suggesting that the QSO line of sight passes near a node in the cosmic web. At z~0.077, we find absorption systems as well as galaxies at the redshift of the nearby clusters Abell 564 and Abell 559. We conclude that the sight line pierces a filament of gas and galaxies feeding into these clusters. The absorber at z_abs = 0.07573 associated with Abell 564/559 also has a high metallicity with [C/H] > -0.6, but again the closest galaxy is relatively far from the sight line (293 h^-1 kpc).

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Bastien Aracil, Todd M. Tripp, David V. Bowen, Jason X. Proschaska, Hsiao-Wen Chen, Brenda L. Frye. 2006-08-21. High Metallicity, Photoionised Gas in Intergalactic Large-Scale Filaments. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09962.x

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