Speaker
Description
Gas flows in and out of galaxies are typically probed by quasar absorption lines which are usually limited to a single sightline through the halo, giving no information on the spatial structure of the gas probed in absorption. First studies using lensed, multiple or extended background objects have shown that there can be significant variation of absorber strengths on relatively small (~kpc and less) scales, hinting at an inhomogeneous clumpy circum-galactic medium. I will present our theoretical understanding of the CGM small-scale structure from high resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations and its impact on observables. Additionally I will report on our ongoing efforts of mapping the CGM in absorption using multiple background sources in deep (141 h) MUSE observations to characterize the spatial distribution and variation of cool gas in individual maps of the CGM of ~150 foreground galaxies.
