Astro2020 Science White Paper: Cold Gas Outflows, Feedback, and the Shaping of Galaxies

There is wide consensus that galaxy outflows are one of the most important processes determining the evolution of galaxies through cosmic time, for example playing a key role in shaping the galaxy mass function. Our understanding of outflows and their drivers, however, is in its infancy --- this is particularly true for the cold (neutral atomic and molecular) phases of outflows, which present observational and modeling challenges. Here we outline several key open questions, briefly discussing the requirements of the observations necessary to make progress, and the relevance of several existing and planned facilities. It is clear that galaxy outflows, and particularly cold outflows, will remain a topic of active research for the next decade and beyond.
Comment: Submitted as a Science White Paper to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1810.06737