Abstract: Galaxies are intimately connected to the environments they live in. The haloes around them contain the gas reservoir from which the galaxies grow, while galactic outflows heat and enrich this circumgalactic medium (CGM). The elemental abundances of present-day stars are, in part, set by these cosmic gas flows. Using zoom-in cosmological simulations of galaxies, I will discuss the physical and observable properties of gas and stars in and around galaxies. The multiphase nature of the CGM is affected by the resolution of our simulations, which enhances the amount of cool, neutral gas in the halo, bringing them more in line with observations. I will show how the properties of the CGM depend on the presence of magnetic fields and on feedback from relativistic cosmic rays. This affects the distribution of metals and observational properties of the halo gas. Our simulations also follow the distribution of rare elements beyond the iron peak, produced by rapid neutron capture and, time permitting, I will discuss whether or not neutron star mergers could be the main source of these heavy elements by comparing our results to observed stellar abundances.
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