Kinematics of Circumgalactic Gas

Most of the baryons associated with galaxy halos reside in the circumgalactic medium. A significant fraction of the mass is at temperatures well below the halo virial temperature. What holds the cool CGM up? I will present new measurements of the kinematics of circumgalactic gas. The data show that much of the low-ionization CGM rotates in the same direction as the galactic disk, suggesting substantial centrifugal support. Disturbances from galactic winds are also apparent, and I will discuss the empirical constraints on both gas outflows and inflows. Understanding the hydrodynamics of the CGM is important because this physics shapes the growth of galactic disks.

https://www.ias.edu/sns/astrophysics/joint-iaspu-astrophysics-colloquium