Circumgalactic medium surrounding z~2 quasars

We argue that the properties of this cool CGM primarily reflect the halo mass, and that other factors such as feedback, star-formation rate, and accretion from the intergalactic medium are secondary. We further estimate that the CGM of massive, z~2 galaxies accounts for the majority of strong Mg II absorption along random quasar sightlines. Last, we detect an excess of strong C IV 1548 absorption (W_1548_>=0.3 {AA}) over random incidence to the 1 Mpc physical impact parameter and measure the quasar-C IV cross-correlation function: {zeta}_CIV_-Q(r)=(r/r_0_)^-{gamma}^ with r_0_=7.5_-1.4_^+2.8^ h^-1^ Mpc and {gamma}=1.7_-0.2_^+0.1^.

Consistent with previous work on larger scales, we infer that this highly ionized C IV gas traces massive (10^12^ M_{sun}_) halos.