Evolution of Stars and Metals in Damped Lyman-alpha Galaxies

Abstract

A unique tool to investigate distant young galaxies is to study the absorption lines they produce in the spectra of background quasars. The damped Lymanalpha (DLA) quasar absorption line systems allow us to empirically trace galaxy evolution. We discuss results of abundance surveys of DLAs and their implications for the evolution of the global metallicity in galaxies. We also describe deep imaging studies with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and ground-based facilities, directed at investigating the luminosities and star formation rates of the absorbers. These observations are helping to clarify the absorber-galaxy connection, and shedding light on the evolution of stars and metals in normal galaxies over the past 80% of the cosmic history.