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Accepted manuscript

COS-EDGES: Co-rotation and Kinematic Stratification of the Multi-Phase CGM Around Edge-On Galaxies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2025

Glenn G. Kacprzak*
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Benjamin D. Oppenheimer
Affiliation:
University of Colorado, Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, 389 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Nikole M. Nielsen
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks St., Norman, OK 73019, USA
Antonia Fernández-Figueroa
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Michael T. Murphy
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Rebecca J. Allen
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Tania M. Barone
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Sameer
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Christopher W. Churchill
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, 1320 Frenger Mall, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, USA
Joseph N. Burchett
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, 1320 Frenger Mall, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, USA
Kaustubh R. Gupta
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Jane C. Charlton
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
Caleb B. Platukis
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Glenn Kacprzak, Email: gkacprzak@swin.edu.au.
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Abstract

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We present the first results from the COS-EDGES survey, targeting the kinematic connection between the interstellar medium and multi-phase circumgalactic medium (CGM) in nine isolated, near-edge-on galaxies at z ∼ 0.2, each probed along its major axis by a background quasar at impact parameters of D = 13 – 38 kpc. Using VLT/UVES and HST/COS quasar spectra, we analyse Mgi, Mgii, Hi, Cii, Ciii, and OVi absorption relative to galaxy rotation curves from Keck/LRIS and Magellan/MagE spectra. We find that low ionisation absorption for 8/9 galaxies lies below the halo escape velocity, indicating bound inflow or recycling gas, while 6/9 galaxies have high ionisation gas reaching above the halo escape velocity, suggesting some unbound material. We find that at lower D/Rvir (0.12 ≤D/Rvir≤ 0.20), over 80% of absorption in all ions lies on the side of systemic velocity matching disk rotation, and the optical-depth–weighted median velocity (vabs) is consistent with the peak rotation speed. At higher D/Rvir (0.21 ≤D/Rvir≤ 0.31), the kinematics diverge by ionisation state: For the low ionisation gas, the amount of co-rotating absorption remains above 80%, yet vabs drops to roughly 60% of the galaxy rotation speed. For the high ionisation gas (OVi), only 60% of the absorption is consistent with co-rotation and vabs drops to 20% of the galaxy rotation speed. Furthermore, the velocity widths, corresponding to 50% of the total optical depth (∆v50) for low ionisation gas is up to 1.8 times larger in the inner halo than at larger radii, while for Ciii and OVi ∆v50 remains unchanged with distance. The 90% optical-depth width (∆v90) shows a modest decline with radius for low ionisation gas but remains constant Ciii and OVi. At high D/Rvir both ∆v50 and ∆v90 increase with ionisation potential. These results suggest a radially dependent CGM kinematic structure: the inner halo hosts cool, dynamically broad gas tightly coupled to disk rotation, whereas beyond ≳ 0.2Rvir, particularly traced by OVi and Hi, the CGM shows weaker rotational alignment and lower relative velocity dispersion. Therefore, low-ionisation gas likely traces extended co-rotating gas, inflows and/or recycled accretion, while high-ionisation gas reflects a mixture of co-rotating, lagging, discrete collisionally ionised structures and volume-filling warm halo, indicating a complex kinematic stratification of the multi-phase CGM.

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Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Astronomical Society of Australia