A Search for Host Galaxies of 24 Gamma‐Ray Bursts

Ovaldsen, J. E.; Jaunsen, A. O.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Hjorth, J.; Thöne, C. C.; Féron, Christophe; Xu, D.; Selj, Josefine; Teuber, J.

doi:10.1086/517962

Cited by 23 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Several previous studies have targeted GRBHs (e.g., Le Floc'h et al 2003;Christensen et al 2004;Fruchter et al 2006;Ovaldsen et al 2007;Svensson et al 2010;Levesque et al 2010;and SBG09). They have focused on the low-redshift regime (up to z ∼ 1.5) and showed that most hosts are subluminous (L < L * ), blue, of low metallicity and with a moderate star formation rate (∼1−10 M yr −1 ).…”

Section: Eros As An Important Subpopulation Of Grb Host Galaxiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A deep search for the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts with no detected optical afterglow

Rossi

Klose

Ferrero

et al. 2012

A&A

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Context. Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can provide information about star formation at high redshifts. Even in the absence of a bright optical/nearinfrared/radio afterglow, the high detection rate of X-ray afterglows by Swift/XRT and its localization precision of 2-3 arcsec facilitates the identification and the study of GRB host galaxies. Aims. We focus on the search for the host galaxies of 17 bursts with arcsec-sized XRT error circles but no detected long-wavelength afterglow, in spite of their deep and rapid follow-up observations. Three of these events can also be classified as truly dark bursts, i.e., the observed upper limit on the optical flux of the afterglow was less than expected based on the measured X-ray flux. Our goals are to identify the GRB host galaxy candidates and characterize their phenomenological parameters. Methods. Our study is based on deep R C and K s -band observations performed with FORS1, FORS2, VIMOS, ISAAC, and HAWK-I at the ESO/VLT, partly supported by observations with the seven-channel imager GROND at the 2.2-m telescope on La Silla, and supplemented by observations with NEWFIRM at the 4-m telescope on Kitt Peak. To be conservative, we searched for host galaxy candidates within an area of twice the radius of each associated 90% c.l. Swift/XRT error circle. Results. For 15 of the 17 bursts, we find at least one galaxy within the searching area, and in the remaining two cases only a deep upper limit to R C and K s can be provided. In seven cases, we discover extremely red objects in the error circles, at least four of which might be dust-enshrouded galaxies. The most remarkable case is the host of GRB 080207, which has a color of (R C − K s ) AB ∼ 4.7 mag, and is one of the reddest galaxies ever associated with a GRB. As a by-product of our study we identify the optical afterglow of GRB 070517. Conclusions. Only a minority of optically dim afterglows are due to Lyman dropout ( 1/3). Extinction by dust in the host galaxies might explain all other events. Thereby, a seemingly non-negligible fraction of these hosts are globally dust-enshrouded, extremely red galaxies. This suggests that at least a fraction of GRB afterglows trace a subpopulation of massive starburst galaxies, which are markedly different from the main body of the GRB host galaxy population, namely the blue, subluminous, compact galaxies.

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Section: Eros As An Important Subpopulation Of Grb Host Galaxiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A deep search for the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts with no detected optical afterglow

Rossi

Klose

Ferrero

et al. 2012

A&A

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“…In Figure 3, we present a histogram of the R-band magnitude (or limiting magnitude) for host galaxies of a sample of Swift (Gehrels et al 2004) detected GRBs (Ovaldsen et al 2007). A high fraction (∼50%) of the Swift GRBs are associated with galaxies brighter than about R ∼ 25 mag.…”

Section: Extragalactic Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The luminosity function of galaxies at high redshift is not well known. However, the GRB host galaxies sample of Ovaldsen et al (2007; Figure 3) which probe typical redshifts of 2 suggest that if the radio transients reside in hosts similar to those of GRBs, then Bower et al should have detected optical counterparts to most of those transients.…”

Section: Extragalactic Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-Duration Radio Transients Lacking Optical Counterparts Are Possibly Galactic Neutron Stars

Ofek

Breslauer

Gal‐Yam

et al. 2010

ApJ

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Recently, a new class of radio transients in the 5 GHz band and with durations of the order of hours to days, lacking any visible-light counterparts, was detected by Bower and collaborators. We present new deep near-infrared (IR) observations of the field containing these transients, and find no counterparts down to a limiting magnitude of K = 20.4 mag. We argue that the bright (>1 Jy) radio transients recently reported by Kida et al. are consistent with being additional examples of the Bower et al. transients. We refer to these groups of events as "long-duration radio transients." The main characteristics of this population are: timescales longer than 30 minutes but shorter than several days; very large rate, ∼10 3 deg −2 yr −1 ; progenitor's sky surface density of >60 deg −2 (at 95% confidence) at Galactic latitude ∼40 • ; 1.4-5 GHz spectral slopes, f ν ∝ ν α , with α 0; and most notably the lack of any X-ray, visible-light, near-IR, and radio counterparts in quiescence. We discuss putative known astrophysical objects that may be related to these transients and rule out an association with many types of objects including supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, quasars, pulsars, and M-dwarf flare stars. Galactic brown dwarfs or some sort of exotic explosions in the intergalactic medium remain plausible (though speculative) options. We argue that an attractive progenitor candidate for these radio transients is the class of Galactic isolated old neutron stars (NSs). We confront this hypothesis with Monte Carlo simulations of the space distribution of old NSs, and find satisfactory agreement for the large areal density. Furthermore, the lack of quiescent counterparts is explained quite naturally. In this framework, we find: the mean distance to events in the Bower et al. sample is of order kpc; the typical distance to the Kida et al. transients are constrained to be between 45 pc and 2 kpc (at the 95% confidence level); these events should repeat with a timescale of order several months; and sub-mJy level bursts should exhibit Galactic latitude dependence. We discuss two possible mechanisms giving rise to the observed radio emission: incoherent synchrotron emission and coherent emission. We speculate that if the latter is correct, the long-duration radio transients are sputtering ancient pulsars or magnetars and will exhibit pulsed emission.

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“…Swift GRBs (and thus their hosts) however have a higher mean redshift of z = 2.8 (Jakobsson et al 2006a) 4 , so the distribution will be shifted out to even fainter magnitudes. Ovaldsen et al (2007) also find a higher magnitude for Swift hosts than for pre-Swift bursts by comparing the expected detection rate from pre-Swift hosts with detections and upper limits derived from imaging the fields of 24 Swift and HETE II bursts from [2005][2006]. 4 An updated version of the redshift distribution can be found under http://raunvis.hi.is/~pja/GRBsample.html -as of July 1, 2010, the mean redshift has become lower, z = 2.19, see also Fynbo et al (2009), who find a mean and median of z = 2.2.…”

Section: Host Searchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photometry and spectroscopy of GRB 060526: a detailed study of the afterglow and host galaxy of az = 3.2 gamma-ray burst

Thöne

Канн²,

Jóhannesson

et al. 2010

A&A

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Aims. With this paper we want to investigate the highly variable afterglow light curve and environment of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 060526 at z = 3.221. Methods. We present one of the largest photometric datasets ever obtained for a GRB afterglow, consisting of multi-color photometric data from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. The data set contains 412 data points in total to which we add additional data from the literature. Furthermore, we present low-resolution high signal-to-noise spectra of the afterglow. The afterglow light curve is modeled with both an analytical model using broken power law fits and with a broad-band numerical model which includes energy injections. The absorption lines detected in the spectra are used to derive column densities using a multi-ion single-component curve-of-growth analysis from which we derive the metallicity of the host of GRB 060526. Results. The temporal behaviour of the afterglow follows a double broken power law with breaks at t = 0.090 ± 0.005 and t = 2.401 ± 0.061 days. It shows deviations from the smooth set of power laws that can be modeled by additional energy injections from the central engine, although some significant microvariability remains. The broadband spectral-energy distribution of the afterglow shows no significant extinction along the line of sight. The metallicity derived from S ii and Fe ii of [S/H] = -0.57 ± 0.25 and [Fe/H] = -1.09 ± 0.24 is relatively high for a galaxy at that redshift but comparable to the metallicity of other GRB hosts at similar redshifts. At the position of the afterglow, no host is detected to F775W(AB) = 28.5 mag with the HST, implying an absolute magnitude of the host M(1500 Å) > -18.3 mag which is fainter than most long-duration hosts, although the GRB may be associated with a faint galaxy at a distance of 11 kpc.

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A Search for Host Galaxies of 24 Gamma‐Ray Bursts

Cited by 23 publications

References 34 publications

A deep search for the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts with no detected optical afterglow

A deep search for the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts with no detected optical afterglow

Long-Duration Radio Transients Lacking Optical Counterparts Are Possibly Galactic Neutron Stars

Photometry and spectroscopy of GRB 060526: a detailed study of the afterglow and host galaxy of az = 3.2 gamma-ray burst

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