title: The hidden mass and large spatial extent of a post-starburst galaxy outflow.
abstract: Outflowing winds of multiphase plasma have been proposed to regulate the buildup of galaxies, but key aspects of these outflows have not been probed with observations. By using ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, we show that "warm-hot" plasma at 10(5.5) kelvin contains 10 to 150 times more mass than the cold gas in a post-starburst galaxy wind. This wind extends to distances > 68 kiloparsecs, and at least some portion of it will escape. Moreover, the kinematical correlation of the cold and warm-hot phases indicates that the warm-hot plasma is related to the interaction of the cold matter with a hotter (unseen) phase at >>10(6) kelvin. Such multiphase winds can remove substantial masses and alter the evolution of post-starburst galaxies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. tripp@astro.umass.edu
authors.forename: Todd M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Tripp
authors.forename: Joseph D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Meiring
authors.forename: J Xavier
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Prochaska
authors.forename: Christopher N A
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Willmer
authors.forename: J Christopher
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Howk
authors.forename: Jessica K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Werk
authors.forename: Edward B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: David V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lehner
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Sembach
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thom
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tumlinson