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arXiv 0710.3587astro-ph
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z = 7.4之前的恒星形成历史:对伽马射线暴和宇宙金属丰度演化的启示

Star Formation History up to z = 7.4: Implications for Gamma-Ray Bursts and the Cosmic Metallicity Evolution

Li-Xin Li

摘要:

目前的雨燕样本的伽马射线暴(GRB)与测量的红移允许测试的假设,伽玛射线暴跟踪恒星形成的宇宙。一些作者声称伽玛暴的速率随宇宙红移的增加比恒星形成速率更快,其原因尚不清楚。基于宇宙金属丰度随红移而变化以及伽玛暴更倾向于发生在低金属丰度星系的观测结果,本文研究了用宇宙金属丰度演化解释伽玛暴速率历史与恒星形成速率历史之间的差异的可能性。首先,我推导出一个恒星形成的历史,红移z=7.4从一个更新的样本的恒星形成率密度通过添加新的紫外测量Bouwens等人。和新的紫外和红外测量Reddy等人。现有的样本由霍普金斯和Beacom编译。然后,采用Langer & Norman提出的GRB产生与宇宙金属丰度历史关系的简单模型,证明了观测到的Swift GRB红移分布可以相当准确地再现。虽然结果是有限的小尺寸的GRB样本和了解甚少的选择偏差在检测和定位的GRB和红移的测定,他们认为,GRB跟踪恒星的形成和金属丰度的演变。如果能用其他方法精确测量恒星的形成历史,这在不久的将来是可能实现的,那么通过研究伽玛暴的红移分布来确定宇宙金属丰度的演化就有可能。

英文摘要:

The current Swift sample of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with measured redshifts allows to test the assumption that GRBs trace the star formation in the Universe. Some authors have claimed that the rate of GRBs increases with cosmic redshift faster than the star formation rate, whose cause is not known yet. In this paper, I investigate the possibility for interpreting the observed discrepancy between the GRB rate history and the star formation rate history by the cosmic metallicity evolution, motivated by the observation that the cosmic metallicity evolves with redshift and GRBs prefer to occur in low metallicity galaxies. First, I derive a star formation history up to redshift z=7.4 from an updated sample of star formation rate densities obtained by adding the new UV measurements of Bouwens et al. and the new UV and infrared measurements of Reddy et al. to the existing sample compiled by Hopkins & Beacom. Then, adopting a simple model for the relation between the GRB production and the cosmic metallicity history as proposed by Langer & Norman, I show that the observed redshift distribution of the Swift GRBs can be reproduced with a fairly good accuracy. Although the results are limited by the small size of the GRB sample and the poorly understood selection biases in detection and localization of GRBs and in redshift determination, they suggest that GRBs trace both the star formation and the metallicity evolution. If the star formation history can be accurately measured with other approaches, which is presumably achievable in the near future, it will be possible to determine the cosmic metallicity evolution with the study on the redshift distribution of GRBs.

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