The ALMA-CRISTAL survey. Discovery of a 15 kpc-long gas plume in a z=4.54 Lyman-α blob

Massive star-forming galaxies in the high-redshift universe host large reservoirs of cold gas in their circumgalactic medium (CGM). Traditionally, these reservoirs have been linked to diffuse H I Lyman-α (Lyα) emission extending beyond ≈ 10 kpc scales. In recent years, millimeter/submillimeter observations are starting to identify even colder gas in the CGM through molecular and/or atomic tracers such as the [C II] 158 μm transition. In this context, we study the well-known J1000+0234 system at z=4.54 that hosts a massive dusty star-forming galaxy (DSFG), a UV-bright companion, and a Lyα blob. We combine new ALMA [C II] line observations taken by the CRISTAL survey with data from previous programs targeting the J1000+0234 system, and achieve a deep view into a DSFG and its rich environment at a 0.2" resolution. We identify an elongated [C II]-emitting structure with a projected size of 15 kpc stemming from the bright DSFG at the center of the field, with no clear counterpart at any other wavelength. The plume is oriented ≈ 40^∘ away from the minor axis of the DSFG, and shows significant spatial variation of its spectral parameters. In particular, the [C II] emission shifts from 180 km/s to 400 km/s between the bottom and top of the plume, relative to the DSFG's systemic velocity. At the same time, the line width starts at 400-600 km/s but narrows down to 190 km/s at top end of the plume. We discuss four possible scenarios to interpret the [C II] plume: a conical outflow, a cold accretion stream, ram pressure stripping, and gravitational interactions. While we cannot strongly rule out any of these with the available data, we disfavor the ram pressure stripping scenario due to the requirement of special hydrodynamic conditions.