Metal content of the circumgalactic medium around star-forming galaxies at

Context. The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is the location where the interplay between large-scale outflows and accretion onto galaxies occurs. Metals in different ionization states flowing between the circumgalactic and intergalactic mediums are affected by large galactic outflows and low-ionization state inflowing gas. Observational studies on their spatial distribution and their relation with galaxy properties may provide important constraints on models of galaxy formation and evolution. Aims. The main goal of this paper is to provide new insights into the spatial distribution of the circumgalactic of star-forming galaxies at 1.5 < z < 4.5 (⟨z⟩∼2.6) in the peak epoch of cosmic star formation activity in the Universe. We also look for possible correlations between the strength of the low- and high-ionization absorption features (LIS and HIS) and stellar mass, star formation rate, effective radius, and azimuthal angle ϕ that defines the location of the absorbing gas relative to the galaxy disc plane. Methods. The CGM has been primarily detected via the absorption features that it produces on the continuum spectrum of bright background sources. We selected a sample of 238 close pairs from the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey to examine the spatial distribution of the gas located around star-forming galaxies and generate composite spectra by co-adding spectra of background galaxies that provide different sight-lines across the CGM of star-forming galaxies. Results. We detect LIS (C I