Events in Physics
Nino Cucchiara (NASA Goddard)
Tracing the first metals via GRB-DLAs
Gamma-ray Bursts are cosmological explosions detectable up to z=8 and beyond.
Their bright optical and NIR afterglows provide a unique opportunity to study the properties of the
star-forming regions where their progenitors are born. In particular, Damped Lyman-alpha systems,
coinciding with some of these high-z GRB hosts enable the characterization of the inner star-forming regions,
from their neutral hydrogen content, to metal enhancement, and dust. In this talk I will focus on the largest sample of GRB-DLAs available to date and how similar data sets can be the keys to our understanding of the primordial phases of star formation at z>7, especially in the JWST and 30-m telescopes era.