2011MNRAS.410.2251P

Details of the processes through which galaxies convert their gas into stars need to be studied in order to obtain a complete picture of galaxy formation. One way to tackle these phenomena is to relate the H I gas and the stars in galaxies. Here, we present dynamical properties of damped and subdamped Lyman α (DLA) systems identified in Hα emission with VLT/SINFONI at near-infrared wavelengths. While the DLA towards Q0302 - 223 is found to be dispersion-dominated, the sub-DLA towards Q1009-0026 shows clear signatures of rotation. We use a proxy to circular velocity to estimate the mass of the halo in which the sub-DLA resides and find M_halo= 10^12.6 M_☉. We also derive dynamical masses of these objects, and find M_dyn= 10^10.3 and 10^10.9 M_☉. For one of the two systems (towards Q0302-223), we are able to derive a stellar mass of M_*= 10^9.5 M_☉ from a spectral energy distribution fit. The gas fraction in this object is one-third, comparable to similar objects at these redshifts. Our work illustrates that detailed studies of quasar absorbers can offer entirely new insights into our knowledge of the interaction between stars and the interstellar gas in galaxies.

Based on observations collected during programmes ESO 80.A-0330 and 80.A-0742 at the European Southern Observatory with SINFONI on the 8.2-m YEPUN telescope operated at the Paranal Observatory, Chile.