2016ApJ...817...91B

We compare the properties of gas flows on both the near and far side of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) disk using Hubble Space Telescope UV absorption-line observations toward an active galactic nucleus behind (transverse) and a star within (down-the-barrel) the LMC disk at an impact parameter of 3.2 kpc. We find that even in this relatively quiescent region gas flows away from the disk at speeds up to ∼100km/s in broad and symmetrical absorption in the low and high ions. The symmetric absorption profiles combined with previous surveys showing little evidence that the ejected gas returns to the LMC and provide compelling evidence that the LMC drives a global, large-scale outflow across its disk, which is the likely result of a recent burst of star formation in the LMC. We find that the outflowing gas is multiphase, ionized by both photoionization (Si ii and Si iii) and collisional ionization (Si iv and C iv). We estimate a total mass and outflow rate to be ≳ 10⁷ M_☉ and ≳ 0.4 M_☉/yr. Since the velocity of this large-scale outflow does not reach the LMC escape velocity, the gas removal is likely aided by either ram-pressure stripping with the Milky Way (MW) halo or tidal interactions with the surrounding galaxies, implying that the environment of LMC-like or dwarf galaxies plays an important role in their ultimate gas starvation. Finally we reassess the mass and plausible origins of the high-velocity complex toward the LMC given its newly determined distance that places it in the lower MW halo and sky-coverage that shows it extends well beyond the LMC disk.