The Evolution of Stars and Metals in Galaxies: An Optical/Infrared Study of Quasar Absorption Lines

AST 0206197 Kulkarni，V P星系的起源和演化以及宇宙中化学元素的产生是天体物理学的基本问题。对银河系恒星和星际气体的绝对测量被用来重建银河系的化学和动力学历史。地面和太空技术的进步现在使天文学家能够将这种研究扩展到遥远的星系，对星系中只有百分之几的恒星形成的时代进行采样。类星体光谱中的阻尼莱曼α吸收体（DLAs）使我们能够研究星系中的恒星和气体的红移0 z 5，即回到宇宙年龄的80-90%。因此，DLA为星系的化学历史提供了绝佳的探测。研究人员将对DLAs的化学和形态演化及其对星系演化的影响进行研究。

AST 0206197Kulkarni, V PThe origin and evolution of galaxies and the production of chemical elements in the Uni-verse are fundamental issues in astrophysics. Abundance measurements for Galactic stars and interstellar gas are used to reconstruct the chemical and dynamical history of the Milky Way. Advances in ground-based and space-based technologies now enable astronomers to extend such studies to distant galaxies, to sample the epochs when only a few percent of the stars in galaxies had formed. The damped Lyman-alpha absorbers (DLAs) in the spectra of quasars allow us to study the stars and gas in galaxies for redshifts 0 z 5, i.e. back to 80-90% of the age of the Universe. The DLAs thus offer an excellent probe of the chemical history of galaxies. The investigator will conduct a study of the chemical and morphological evolution of DLAs, and their implications for galaxy evolution in general.