Séminaire Valentina D’Odorico INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico

Understanding metal enrichment in the early Universe through quasar spectroscopy

Abstract

Chemical elements heavier than helium – commonly referred to as ‘metals’ in astrophysics – are produced in stars and distributed through the Universe via outflows and winds. Understanding metal enrichment in the early Universe is key to understanding galaxy evolution. I will present new observations of the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium at high redshift, tracing metals to study how they escape galaxies and how they relate to the cosmic star formation history.