High-redshift MgII absorption QSOs with FIRE

The weaker systems' lack of evolution does not fit within this interpretation, but may be reproduced by extrapolating low redshift scaling relations between host galaxy luminosity and absorbing halo radius to earlier epochs. For the weak systems, luminosity-scaled models match the evolution better than similar models based on Mg II occupation of evolving cold dark matter halo masses, which greatly underpredict dN/dz at early times unless the absorption efficiency of small halos is significantly larger at early times.

Taken together, these observations suggest that the general structure of Mg II-bearing halos was put into place early in the process of galaxy assembly. Except for a transient appearance of stronger systems near the peak epoch of cosmic star formation, the basic properties of Mg II absorbers have evolved fairly little even as the (presumably) associated galaxy population grew substantially in stellar mass and half-light radius.