Spectroscopy of high redshift sightlines

This thesis deals with the absorption studies of two cosmological objects: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and quasars (QSO), using spectroscopy and spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis.

GRBs are the most powerful explosions in the Universe. After the discovery of these cosmological events in 1967, a lot of progress has been made in investigating their properties which divided them into two subcategories of long and short bursts. Both GRB classes have different origins and properties. Long duration GRBs are signposts of star formation due to their association with the deaths of short-lived massive stars. The launch of the Swift satellite in 2004, mainly devoted to GRB observations, has marked a dramatic improvement in our understanding of GRB physics. The initial burst of gamma-rays should be followed by slowly fading emission at low frequencies, which is termed the "afterglow". GRB afterglows are excellent and sensitive probes of gas and dust in star-forming galaxies at all epochs. The X-ray to optical/near-infrared SED analysis of GRB afterglows can reveal intrinsic host galaxy properties. The brightness of these transient sources and their occurrence in young, blue galaxies make them excellent tools to study star forming regions in the distant Universe.

The first chapter presents an introduction to the history of GRB research, different progenitor models and afterglow phases. It also summarizes the different dust models used for afterglow SED modeling. The chapter also provides an introduction to the Damped Ly-alpha absorbers (DLAs) usually seen in the spectra of background QSOs.