2011/02/25 by N. Ben Bekhti, Nadya Ben Bekhti, Benjamin Winkel +7
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Galactic halo #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Galaxy formation and evolution #Galaxy group #Halo #Intergalactic travel #Milky Way #Spiral galaxy #astro-ph.GA
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/9783527644384.ch7
8 pages, 6 figures, Highlight talk at the Annual Meeting and General Assembly of the Astronomische Gesellschaft in Bonn, 2010. To appear in "Reviews in Modern Astronomy"
arxiv created 2011/02/25 · openalex publication_date 2011/09/21 · arxiv updated 2015/06/11 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Recent observations show that spiral galaxies are surrounded by extended gaseous halos as predicted by the hierarchical structure formation scenario. The origin and nature of extraplanar gas is often unclear since the halo is continuously fueled by different circulation processes as part of the on-going formation and evolution of galaxies (e.g., outflows, galaxy merging, and gas accretion from the intergalactic medium). We use the Milky Way as a laboratory to study neutral and mildly ionised gas located in the inner and outer halo. Using spectral line absorption and emission measurements in different wavelength regimes we obtain detailed information on the physical conditions and the distribution of the gas. Such studies are crucial for our understanding of the complex interplay between galaxies and their gaseous environment as part of the formation and evolution of galaxies. Our analysis suggests that the column-density distribution and physical properties of gas in the Milky Way halo are very similar to that around other disk galaxies at low and high redshifts.