What do we know about the Circumgalactic Medium?

At the meeting point of galaxies with the large scale structure of the Universe lies the circumgalactic medium (CGM), the galactic diffuse atmosphere. Recent observations reveal that the CGM is ubiquitous, detected around star forming and quiescent galaxies, and that it is an extended and multiphase structure. However, due to the challenging nature of the measurements, many questions remain open - how much gas is out there, what are its thermal properties, spatial distribution, and morphology? These are linked to the properties of gas accretion onto galaxies, star formation, and galactic feedback processes, and are crucial to our understanding of galaxy evolution and how they affect the distribution of matter on large scales. 

In this talk I will describe the models I developed to address these questions. I will show what we learned from applying our models to observations of Milky-Way-mass galaxies, constraining the CGM mass, gas morphology, and energetics. Finally, I will present predictions for upcoming observations and future facilities (including CMB-S4, ELT, HWO, Athena, and more), which will allow us to test and improve our understanding of the physical processes governing the CGM.

Yakov is a candidate for a position in the Department.