The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOs
We investigate the multiphase gas surrounding QSOs traced by 33 absorption lines (e.g., Ly α , C iv , Fe ii , Mg ii , etc.) in the stacked spectra of background sources, using the Early Data Release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument. Our analysis reveals that the equivalent width ( W ) o...
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ade545 |
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| author | Zeyu Chen Enci Wang Hu Zou Haoran Yu Zhicheng He Huiyuan Wang Yang Gao Cheqiu Lyu Cheng Jia Chengyu Ma Weiyu Ding Runyu Zhu Xu Kong |
| author_facet | Zeyu Chen Enci Wang Hu Zou Haoran Yu Zhicheng He Huiyuan Wang Yang Gao Cheqiu Lyu Cheng Jia Chengyu Ma Weiyu Ding Runyu Zhu Xu Kong |
| author_sort | Zeyu Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We investigate the multiphase gas surrounding QSOs traced by 33 absorption lines (e.g., Ly α , C iv , Fe ii , Mg ii , etc.) in the stacked spectra of background sources, using the Early Data Release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument. Our analysis reveals that the equivalent width ( W ) of metal absorption lines decreases with increasing redshift, following an overall trend described by W ∝ (1 + z ) ^−4.0±2.7 . Different species that trace multiphases of QSO-associated gas exhibit distinct evolutionary patterns. Additionally, the W of these absorption lines decreases with distance ( D ) from QSOs, which can be effectively characterized by a two-halo model. Compared to the projected two point correlation function of galaxies at similar redshifts, low-ionization ions exhibit similar clustering scales, while high-ionization ions show a significantly more extended spatial distribution. We also find that W _FeII / W _MgII increases toward lower redshifts, which can be attributed to evolving star formation histories and/or changes in initial mass function for galaxies. By leveraging multiple absorption tracers, we conduct the first comprehensive investigation of diffuse, multiphase gas from the circumgalactic medium to cosmological scales, offering new insights into baryon cycles and the transport of metals throughout cosmic time. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2667b818c2b64a819c83aae694a44f77 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-2667b818c2b64a819c83aae694a44f772025-08-20T03:51:09ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019881L3910.3847/2041-8213/ade545The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOsZeyu Chen0https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5989-6005Enci Wang1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1588-9394Hu Zou2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6684-3997Haoran Yu3https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1319-498XZhicheng He4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3667-1060Huiyuan Wang5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4911-6990Yang Gao6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2851-886XCheqiu Lyu7https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7307-6362Cheng Jia8https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7042-4172Chengyu Ma9https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7343-8013Weiyu Ding10https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0230-4596Runyu Zhu11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8037-3573Xu Kong12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7660-2273Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100012, People’s Republic of China ; zouhu@nao.cas.cnDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaCollege of Physics and Electronic Information, Dezhou University , Dezhou 253023, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China; National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100012, People’s Republic of China ; zouhu@nao.cas.cnNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100012, People’s Republic of China ; zouhu@nao.cas.cn; Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University , Xiamen, Fujian 361005, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of China ; czy664@mail.ustc.edu.cn, ecwang16@ustc.edu.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People’s Republic of ChinaWe investigate the multiphase gas surrounding QSOs traced by 33 absorption lines (e.g., Ly α , C iv , Fe ii , Mg ii , etc.) in the stacked spectra of background sources, using the Early Data Release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument. Our analysis reveals that the equivalent width ( W ) of metal absorption lines decreases with increasing redshift, following an overall trend described by W ∝ (1 + z ) ^−4.0±2.7 . Different species that trace multiphases of QSO-associated gas exhibit distinct evolutionary patterns. Additionally, the W of these absorption lines decreases with distance ( D ) from QSOs, which can be effectively characterized by a two-halo model. Compared to the projected two point correlation function of galaxies at similar redshifts, low-ionization ions exhibit similar clustering scales, while high-ionization ions show a significantly more extended spatial distribution. We also find that W _FeII / W _MgII increases toward lower redshifts, which can be attributed to evolving star formation histories and/or changes in initial mass function for galaxies. By leveraging multiple absorption tracers, we conduct the first comprehensive investigation of diffuse, multiphase gas from the circumgalactic medium to cosmological scales, offering new insights into baryon cycles and the transport of metals throughout cosmic time.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ade545Quasar absorption line spectroscopyCircumgalactic mediumIntergalactic mediumCosmic abundances |
| spellingShingle | Zeyu Chen Enci Wang Hu Zou Haoran Yu Zhicheng He Huiyuan Wang Yang Gao Cheqiu Lyu Cheng Jia Chengyu Ma Weiyu Ding Runyu Zhu Xu Kong The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOs The Astrophysical Journal Letters Quasar absorption line spectroscopy Circumgalactic medium Intergalactic medium Cosmic abundances |
| title | The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOs |
| title_full | The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOs |
| title_fullStr | The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOs |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOs |
| title_short | The Cosmic Evolution and Spatial Distribution of Multiphase Gas Associated with QSOs |
| title_sort | cosmic evolution and spatial distribution of multiphase gas associated with qsos |
| topic | Quasar absorption line spectroscopy Circumgalactic medium Intergalactic medium Cosmic abundances |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ade545 |
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