Abstract
Surveys for damped Lyα absorption systems indicate that the neutral gas content of the universe increases with redshift at z < 3.3. The evolution may be due to gas consumption by star formation in protogalaxies. The redshift dependence of the neutral gas content at z > 3.3 places restrictions on various models for structure formation. The metal content of the damped Lyα systems is discussed. Accurate spectra obtained with the HIRES echelle spectrograph on the Keck 10 m telescope are used to obtain accurate metallicities of damped Lyα systems for the first time. The small sample reveals a wide range of metallicities. The kinematic structure of the gas is consistent with a thick, rapidly rotating disk.
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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Wolfe, A.M. (1995). Evolution of the Neutral Gas and Metal Content of Damped Lyman Alpha Systems. In: Meylan, G. (eds) QSO Absorption Lines. ESO Astrophysics Symposia. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49458-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49458-4_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-22373-4
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