Molecular hydrogen at high redshift
Abstract
Absorption lines of molecular hydrogen provide a most sensitive and powerful tool to understand the early evolution of galaxies and the intergalactic medium (IGM). In addition these lines are useful to investigate the space and time variations of the ratio of electron to proton mass. In this presentation I review the status of the search for H_2 at high z. High resolution spectrograph on ELTs will allow us to detect H_2 in the Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) and CO and HD in DLAs that already show H_2. This will allow us to investigate the astrochemistry at early epochs and study the physics of interstellar medium (ISM) at high redshifts.
- Publication:
-
The Scientific Requirements for Extremely Large Telescopes
- Pub Date:
- 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921306000834
- Bibcode:
- 2006IAUS..232..319S