The Space Density of Primordial Gas Clouds near Galaxies and Groups and their Relation to Galactic High-Velocity Clouds

The Arecibo H i Strip Survey probed the halos of approximately 300 cataloged galaxies and the environments of approximately 14 groups with sensitivity to neutral hydrogen masses >/=107 M middle dot in circle. The survey detected no objects with properties resembling the high-velocity clouds (HVCs) associated with the Milky Way or Local Group. If the HVCs were typically MHi=107.5 M middle dot in circle objects distributed throughout groups and galaxy halos at distances of approximately 1 Mpc, the survey should have made approximately 70 HVC detections in groups and approximately 250 detections around galaxies. The null detection implies that HVCs are deployed at typical distances of </=200 kpc from the galaxies or group barycenters. If the clouds are in virial equilibrium, their average dark matter fraction must be 98% or higher.