XXIVth IAP Colloquium

Far away : light in the young universe at redshift beyond three

Monday July 7 to Friday July 11, 2008

List of MAIOLINO's Presentation(s) ( Updated 20/01/2011 18:42:19 )

Precise if your presentation is oral or a poster : oral
Title of your presentation : The evolution of the mass--metallicity relation at z>3


Abstract
I will present initial results of an ESO-VLT large programme (AMAZE) aimed at
determining the evolution of the mass-metallicity relation
at z>3 by means of deep near-IR spectroscopy.
Gas metallicities are measured, for an initial sample of
star forming galaxies at z~3.3 and at z~4.5, by means of optical
nebular lines
redshifted into the near-IR.
When compared with previous
surveys, the mass-metallicity relation inferred at z>3
shows an evolution significantly stronger than observed at lower redshifts.
There are also some indications that the
metallicity evolution of low mass galaxies is stronger
relative to high mass systems, an
effect which can be considered
the chemical version of the galaxy downsizing.
The mass-metallicity relation observed at z>3 is difficult
to reconcile with the predictions of some hierarchical evolutionary models.
I shortly discuss the possible implications of such discrepancies.


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