Speaker
Prof.
Nial Tanvir
(University of Leicester)
Description
Gamma-ray bursts can be seen to very high redshifts, and the bright power-law continua of their afterglows provide ideal backlights for absorption lines studies. I will review what we have learnt from GRBs about evolving chemical abundances in the early universe; and consider the implications of the high HI column densities seen on the sight lines to GRBs for the escape fraction of ionizing radiation from massive stars. I will also review the importance of the kilonovae accompanying short-duration GRBs for the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements.
Primary author
Prof.
Nial Tanvir
(University of Leicester)
