Mg II Absorbing Galaxies: Morphologies and Kinematics

Abstract

In this contribution, we review our current knowledge of the properties of galaxies, and their extended halos, selected by MgII absorption in the spectra of background quasars. We then describe recent efforts to quantify the morphologies and orientations of galaxies and explore how these relate to the gas kinematics. In a sample of 26 galaxies, we find no clear connection between the orientation of the quasar line of sight through the galaxy and the velocity spread of the gas. However, it appears that the quantity of gas "stirred up" in the halo may be correlated to asymmetry in the galaxy morphology. Since the galaxies have fairly normal morphologies, this connection may suggest that galaxies with extended halos experienced an interaction or merging event a few dynamical times prior to the epoch of observation.