We present the first results from a study of OVI absorption around galaxies at z2x10^-17^erg/s/cm^2^) at 0.68~1M_{sun}/yr star-forming galaxies within 2R_vir show no associated OVI absorption to a limit of at least N(OVI)=10^13.9^cm^-2^. That we detect OVI at such large distances from galaxies and that a significant fraction of star-forming galaxies show no detectable OVI absorption disfavours outflows from ongoing star formation as the primary medium traced by these absorbers. Instead, by combining our own low- and high-redshift data with existing samples, we find tentative evidence for many strong (N(OVI)>10^14^cm^-2^) OVI absorption systems to be associated with M_*~10^9.5-10^M{sun} mass galaxies (M_halo~10^11.5-12^M_{sun}_ dark matter haloes), and infer that they may be tracing predominantly collisionally ionized gas within the haloes of such galaxies.

Cone search capability for table J/MNRAS/486/21/table4 (Properties of proximate galaxies to the quasar sightline)