A recent study has found evidence of bipolar outflows extending up to 10 kiloparsecs (kpc) in massive galaxies at a redshift of approximately z ≈ 1. The research, which utilized observations from various instruments including MUSE and Keck Cosmic Web Imager, provides insights into the circumgalactic medium and galactic winds. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex processes occurring in the outskirts of galaxies and their impact on galaxy evolution.
The composition of our Universe is mostly non-luminous, with 5% normal matter, 27% dark matter, and 68% dark energy. However, much of the normal matter remains elusive, leading to the "missing baryons" problem. Recent X-ray studies have detected a hot, ionized, galaxy-surrounding material known as the circumgalactic medium, which may hold the solution to the missing baryons. This diffuse gas, with very high temperatures and low densities, extends far beyond the stellar extents of galaxies and can absorb light at specific frequencies. By studying the absorption features in the spectra of distant sources, astronomers have found evidence of a normal matter-rich circumgalactic medium around many galaxies, including our Milky Way. This suggests that the missing baryons required by the Universe may be located in this hot, diffuse medium.
