Terminal Velocity Infall in QSO Absorption Line Halos

Abstract

We explore the hypothesis that clouds detected in quasar absorption line systems are falling at a terminal velocity toward the center of high redshift gaseous galactic halos. Since both the ionization level and terminal velocity of halo clouds increase with increasing distance from the central galaxy, velocity resolved profiles of highly ionized gas are predicted to have a greater width than low ionization gas. A line of sight passing through the center of gaseous halo (an idealized damped Ly alpha system), yields low ionization absorption at the velocity of the galaxy, flanked by high ionization on either side. Reasonable halo parameters yield total velocity extents for C IV of v_{C IV}=100-200 km/s, in agreement with several observed systems. The remaining systems may better described by the rotating disk model of Prochaska & Wolfe (1998). Finally, observational tests are suggested for verifying or falsifying the terminal velocity hypothesis for these systems.