On the connection between the metal-enriched intergalactic medium and galaxies: an O VI-galaxy cross-correlation study at z < 1

We present new results on the auto- and cross-correlation functions of galaxies and O vi absorbers in a similar to 18 Gpc(3) comoving volume at z < 1. We use a sample of 51 296 galaxies and 140 O vi absorbers in the column density range 13 a parts per thousand(2) log N a parts per thousand(2) 15 to measure two-point correlation functions in the two dimensions transverse and orthogonal to the line of sight xi(r(aSyen), r(ayen)). We furthermore infer the corresponding 'real-space' correlation functions, xi(r), by projecting xi(r(aSyen), r(ayen)) along r(ayen), and assuming a power-law form, xi(r) = (r/r(0))(-gamma). Comparing the results from the absorber-galaxy cross-correlation function, xi(ag), the galaxy autocorrelation function, xi(gg), and the absorber autocorrelation function, xi(aa), we constrain the statistical connection between galaxies and the metal-enriched intergalactic medium as a function of star formation activity. We also compare these results to predictions from the eagle cosmological hydrodynamical simulation and find a reasonable agreement. We find that: (i) O vi absorbers show very little velocity dispersion with respect to galaxies on similar to Mpc scales, likely a parts per thousand(2)100 km s(-1); (ii) O vi absorbers are less clustered, and potentially more extended around galaxies than galaxies are around themselves; (iii) on a parts per thousand(3)100 kpc scales, the likelihood of finding O vi absorbers around star-forming galaxies is similar to the likelihood of finding O vi absorbers around non-star-forming galaxies; and (iv) O vi absorbers are either not ubiquitous to galaxies in our sample, or their distribution around them is patchy on scales a parts per thousand(3)100 kpc (or both), at least for the column densities at which most are currently detected.