Molecular hydrogen at high-z
R. Srianand^1
1 Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, India

Damped Lyman-a systems (DLAs with HI column densities in excess of 10²⁰ cm^-2) are believed to originate in gas associated with protogalaxies that lie along our line of sight to background quasars. The physical conditions within DLAs can reveal the star formation history, determine the chemical composition of the associated ISM and hence document the first steps in the formation of present day galaxies. In this talk we will present the recent results from our survey of H2 molecules, C I and C II* in DLAs using the UV echelle spectrograph on VLT unit 2. The projections for what can be achieved with ELT will be presented.

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On 20 Oct 2005, 15:49.