| Abstract: | GRB absorption spectroscopy opened up a new window in the study of the high redshift Universe, especially with the launch of the Swift satellite and the quick and precise localization of the afterglow. Eight‐meter class telescopes can be repointed within a few hours from the GRB, enabling the acquisition of high signal‐to‐noise ratio and high resolution afterglow spectra. In this paper I will give a short review of what we learned through this technique, and I will present some of the first results obtained with the X‐shooter spectrograph (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) |
