What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to examine the relationship between strong blended Lyα absorption systems and Lyα-emitting galaxies at redshift z ≳ 3.

June 3, 2026

MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG)

Key Points

This research aims to examine the relationship between strong blended Lyα absorption systems and Lyα-emitting galaxies at redshift z ≳ 3.
Analyzed ≈ 1000 Lyα-emitting galaxies in 28 quasar fields from the MAGG survey.
Identified spectral regions with Lyα absorption based on transmitted flux values.
Performed two-dimensional cross-correlation analysis to assess clustering around absorbers.
Established a strong correlation between SBLAs and LAEs within R ≤ 300 kpc and |Δv| ≤ 300 km s−1.
Observed clustering of LAEs significant at lower F values; no clustering for F > 0.25.
Correlation strength increased with broader spectral windows for identifying SBLAs.

Abstract

We investigate the connection between strong, blended Lyα absorption systems (SBLAs) and ≈1000 Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z ≳ 3 in 28 quasar fields from the MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) survey. Selecting SBLAs as spectral regions with transmitted flux −0.05 0.25. The correlation appears to also depend on the width of the spectral window used to identify SBLAs, with a larger window yielding a stronger signal. Our analysis confirms that SBLAs serve as probes of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) at the interface between the Lyα forest and the optically thick Lyman limit systems. The significant dependence of the LAE-SBLA cross-correlation on the spectral binning used to select these absorbers motivates future tests of the current SBLA framework as a tracer of halos.

Bookmark

MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG)

Key Points

Abstract

Cite This Study