Inspiraling streams of enriched gas observed around a massive galaxy 11 billion years ago

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zhang, Shiwu; Cai, Zheng; Xu, Dandan; Shimakawa, Rhythm; Battaia, Fabrizio Arrigoni; Prochaska, Jason Xavier; Cen, Renyue; Zheng, Zheng; Wu, Yunjing; Li, Qiong; Dou, Liming; Wu, Jianfeng; Zabludoff, Ann; Fan, Xiaohui; Ai, Yanli; Golden-Marx, Emmet Gabriel; Li, Miao; Lu, Youjun; Ma, Xiangcheng; Wang, Sen; Wang, Ran; Yuan, Feng
• 署名单位: Tsinghua University; Qinghai University; National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) - Japan; National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ); Waseda University; Max Planck Society; University of California System; University of California Santa Cruz; University of Tokyo; Zhejiang University; Princeton University; Utah System of Higher Education; University of Utah; Peking University; University of Manchester; Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics; Guangzhou University; Xiamen University; University of Arizona; Shenzhen Technology University; Simons Foundation; Flatiron Institute; Chinese Academy of Sciences; National Astronomical Observatory, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, CAS
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-12113
• DOI: 10.1126/science.abj9192
• 发表日期: 2023-05-05
• 页码: 494-498
• 关键词: cool circumgalactic medium; star-forming galaxies; physical-properties; angular-momentum; accretion; metallicity; overdensity; kinematics; DISCOVERY; feedback

摘要

Stars form in galaxies, from gas that has been accreted from the intergalactic medium. Simulations have shown that recycling of gas-the reaccretion of gas that was previously ejected from a galaxy-could sustain star formation in the early Universe. We observe the gas surrounding a massive galaxy at redshift 2.3 and detect emission lines from neutral hydrogen, helium, and ionized carbon that extend 100 kiloparsecs from the galaxy. The kinematics of this circumgalactic gas is consistent with an inspiraling stream. The carbon abundance indicates that the gas had already been enriched with elements heavier than helium, previously ejected from a galaxy. We interpret the results as evidence of gas recycling during high-redshift galaxy assembly.