HST/COS UV obs. of low-z SDSS galaxy groups

Targets were selected from a large, homogeneously selected sample of groups found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. A critical selection criterion excluded sight lines that pass close (<1.5 virial radii) to a group galaxy, to ensure absorber association with the group as a whole.

Deeper galaxy redshift observations are used both to search for closer galaxies and also to characterize these 10^13.5^-10^14.5^M_{sun}_ groups, the most massive of which are highly virialized with numerous early-type galaxies (ETGs). This sample also includes two spiral-rich groups, not yet fully virialized. At group-centric impact parameters of 0.3-2Mpc, these signal-to-noise ratios = 15-30 spectra detected HI absorption in 7 of 12 groups; high (OVI) and low (SiIII) ion metal lines are present in two-thirds of the absorption components.