Identifying H i Emission and UV Absorber Associations near the Magellanic Stream

Abstract

We present a new technique to identify associations of H i emission in the Magellanic Stream (MS) and ultraviolet (UV) absorbers from 92 QSO sight lines near the MS. We quantify the level of associations of individual H i elements to the main H i body of the Stream using Wasserstein distance-based models, and derive characteristic spatial and kinematic distances of the H i emission in the MS. With the emission-based model, we further develop a comparison metric, which identifies the dominant associations of individual UV absorbers with respect to the MS and nearby galaxies. For ionized gas associated with the MS probed by C ii, C iv, Si ii, Si iii, Si iv, we find that the ion column densities are generally ∼0.5 dex higher than those that are not associated, and that the gas is more ionized toward the tail of the MS as indicated by the spatial trend of the C ii/C iv ratios. For nearby galaxies, we identify potential new absorbers associated with the circumgalactic medium of M33 and NGC 300, and affirm the associations of absorbers with IC 1613 and the Wolf–Lundmark–Mellote galaxy. For M31, we find the previously identified gradient in column densities as a function of the impact parameter, and that absorbers with higher column densities beyond M31's virial radius are more likely to be associated with the MS. Our analysis of absorbers associated with the Magellanic Clouds reveals the presence of continuous and blended diffuse ionized gas between the Stream and the Clouds. Our technique can be applied to future applications of identifying associations within physically complex gaseous structures.