Deep Ultraviolet, Emission-Line Imaging of the Makani Galactic Wind

Abstract

The OVI 1032, 1038 A line is a key probe of cooling gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies, but has been observed to date primarily in absorption along single sightlines. We present deep HST ACS-SBC observations of the compact, massive starburst Makani. Makani hosts a 100 kpc, [OII]-emitting galactic wind driven by two episodes of star formation over 400 Myr. We detect OVI and Ly$\alpha$ emission across the [OII] nebula with similar morphology and extent, out to r ~ 50 kpc. Using differential narrow-band imaging, we separate Ly$\alpha$ and OVI and show that the OVI emission is comparable in brightness to [OII], with $L_{OVI} = 4\times10^{42}$ erg/s. The similar hourglass morphology and size of [OII] and OVI implicate radiative cooling at $T = 10^{5.5}$ K in a hot-cold interface. This may occur as the $T > 10^7$ K CGM -- or the hot fluid driving the wind -- exchanges mass with the $T \approx 10^4$ K clouds entrained in (or formed by) the wind. The optical/UV line ratios may be consistent with shock ionization, though uncertain attenuation and Ly$\alpha$ radiative transfer complicate the interpretation. The detection of OVI in Makani lies at the bleeding edge of the UV imaging capabilities of HST, and provides a benchmark for future emission-line imaging of the CGM with a wide-area UV telescope.