Another short-burst host galaxy with an optically obscured high star formation rate: The case of GRB 071227
A. Nicuesa Guelbenzu, S. Klose, M. J. Michalowski, S. Savaglio, D. A. Kann, A. Rossi, L. K. Hunt, J. Gorosabel, J. Greiner, M. R. G. McKenzie, E. Palazzi, S. Schmidl
We report on radio continuum observations of the host galaxy of the short gamma-ray burst 071227 (z=0.381) with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). We detect the galaxy in the 5.5 GHz band with an integrated flux density of Fnu = 43 +/- 11 microJy, corresponding to an unobscured star-formation rate (SFR) of about 24 Msun/yr, forty times higher than what was found from optical emission lines. Among the ~30 well-identified and studied host galaxies of short bursts this is the third case where the host is found to undergo an episode of intense star formation. This suggests that a fraction of all short-burst progenitors hosted in star-forming galaxies could be physically related to recent star formation activity, implying a relatively short merger time scale.
Due to their relation to massive stars, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) allow pinpointing star formation in galaxies independently of redshift, dust obscuration, or galaxy mass/size, thus providing a unique tool to investigate the star-formation history over cosmic time. About half of the optical afterglows of long-duration GRBs are missed due to dust extinction, and are primarily located in the most massive GRB hosts. In order to understand this bias it is important to investigate the amount of obscured star-formation in these GRB host galaxies. Radio emission of galaxies correlates wit…
Highly dust-obscured starbursting galaxies (submillimeter galaxies and their ilk) represent the most extreme sites of star-formation in the distant universe and contribute significantly to overall cosmic star-formation beyond z>1.5. Some stars formed in these environments may also explode as GRBs and contribute to the population of "dark" bursts. Here we present VLA wideband radio-continuum observations of 15 heavily dust-obscured Swift GRBs to search for radio synchrotron emission associated with intense star-formation in their host galaxies. Most of these targets (11) are not detected. Of th…
We present observations and analysis of the host galaxies of 23 heavily dust-obscured gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed by the Swift satellite during the years 2005-2009, representing all GRBs with an unambiguous host-frame extinction of A_V>1 mag from this period. Deep observations with Keck, Gemini, VLT, HST, and Spitzer successfully detect the host galaxies and establish spectroscopic or photometric redshifts for all 23 events, enabling us to provide measurements of the intrinsic host star-formation rates, stellar masses, and mean extinctions. Compared to the hosts of unobscured GRBs at simi…
In this work we present the first results of our imaging campaign at Keck Observatory to identify the host galaxies of "dark" gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), events with no detected optical afterglow or with detected optical flux significantly fainter than expected from the observed X-ray afterglow. We find that out of a uniform sample of 29 Swift bursts rapidly observed by the Palomar 60-inch telescope through March 2008 (14 of which we classify as dark), all events have either a detected optical afterglow, a probable optical host-galaxy detection, or both. Our results constrain the fraction of Swif…
We present observations of the dark Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 051008 provided by Swift/BAT, Swift/XRT, Konus-WIND, INTEGRAL/SPI-ACS in the high-energy domain and the Shajn, Swift/UVOT, Tautenburg, NOT, Gemini and Keck I telescopes in the optical and near-infrared bands. The burst was detected only in gamma- and X-rays and neither a prompt optical nor a radio afterglow were detected down to deep limits. We identified the host galaxy of the burst, which is a typical Lyman-break Galaxy (LBG) with R-magnitude of 24.06 +/- 0.10. A redshift of the galaxy of z = 2.77 (-0.20,+0.15) is measured photometrical…
We model the projected angular two-point correlation function (2PCF) of obscured and unobscured quasars selected using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), at a median redshift of $z \sim 1$ using a five-parameter Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) parameterization, derived from a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation by Chatterjee et al. The HOD parameterization was previously used to model the 2PCF of optically selected quasars and X-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGN) at $z \sim 1$. The current work shows that a single HOD parameterization can be used to model the population o…
We report the detection of a faint optical flash by the 2-m Faulkes Telescope North simultaneously with the second of two prompt gamma-ray pulses in INTEGRAL gamma-ray burst (GRB) 080603A, beginning at t_rest = 37 s after the onset of the GRB. This optical flash appears to be distinct from the subsequent emerging afterglow emission, for which we present comprehensive broadband radio to X-ray light curves to 13 days post-burst and rigorously test the standard fireball model. The intrinsic extinction toward GRB 080603A is high (A_V,z = 0.8 mag), and the well-sampled X-ray-to-near-infrared spectr…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions that we can witness in the Universe. Studying the most extreme cases of these phenomena allows us to constrain the limits for the progenitor models. In this Letter, we study the prompt emission, afterglow, and host galaxy of GRB 120624B, one of the brightest GRBs detected by Fermi, to derive the energetics of the event and characterise the host galaxy in which it was produced. Following the high-energy detection we conducted a multi-wavelength follow-up campaign, including near-infrared imaging from HAWKI/VLT, optical from OSIRIS/GTC, X-ray obs…
We study the X-ray spectra of a sample of 19 obscured, optically-selected Seyfert galaxies (Sy 1.8, 1.9 and 2) in the local universe ($d \leq 175$~Mpc), drawn from the CfA Seyfert sample. Our analysis is driven by the high sensitivity of NuSTAR in the hard X-rays, coupled with soft X-ray spectra using XMM-Newton, Chandra, Suzaku, and Swift/XRT. We also analyze the optical spectra of these sources in order to obtain accurate mass estimates and Eddington fractions. We employ four different models to analyze the X-ray spectra of these sources, which all result in consistent results. We find that …
Motivated by the Fermi gamma-ray space telescope results, in recent years immense efforts were given to understanding the mechanism that leads to the prompt emission observed. The failure of the optically thin emission models (synchrotron and synchrotron self Compton) increased interest in alternative models. Optically thick models, while having several advantages, also face difficulty in capturing several key observables. Theoretical efforts are focused in two main directions: (1) mechanisms that act to broaden the Planck spectrum; and (2) combining the optically thin and optically thick mode…
We present our optical observations of {\em Swift} GRB 070518 afterglow obtained at the 0.8-m Tsinghua University-National Astronomical Observatory of China telescope (TNT) at Xinglong Observatory. Our follow-up observations were performed from 512 sec after the burst trigger. With the upper limit of redshift $\sim$0.7, GRB 070518 is found to be an optically dim burst. The spectra indices $β_{ox}$ of optical to X-ray are slightly larger than 0.5, which implies the burst might be a dark burst. The extinction $A_{V}$ of the host galaxy is 3.2 mag inferred from the X-ray hydrogen column density w…
Optical/infrared observations of the extraordinary GRB 250702B: a highly obscured afterglow in a massive galaxy consistent with multiple possible progenitors
本文通过多台望远镜的光学/红外观测研究最长伽马射线暴 GRB 250702B，发现其高度遮蔽的余辉来自相对论性喷流，宿主为正在并合的大质量富尘星系，并指出多种 progenitor 情景均可解释观测结果。
From Empirical to Physical Model: Direct Fits of Optically Thin Inverse Compton Scattering to Prompt GRB Spectra
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram（印度科学教育研究所特里凡得琅分校）；Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（大学间天体物理中心）
The objective of this paper is to determine the level of obscured star formation activity and dust attenuation in a sample of gamma-ray burst (GRB) hosts; and to test the hypothesis that GRB hosts have properties consistent with those of the general star-forming galaxy populations. We present a radio continuum survey of all z<1 GRB hosts in The Optically Unbiased GRB Host (TOUGH) sample supplemented with radio data for all (mostly pre-Swift) GRB-SN hosts discovered before October 2006. We present new radio data for 22 objects and have obtained a detection for three of them (GRB 980425, 021211,…
$E_{\rm peak}$-$α$ Correlation in Time Resolved GRB Spectra: A Bottom-Up Approach with Optically Thin Inverse Compton Scattering Model
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram（印度科学教育研究所特里凡得琅分校）；Centre for High Performance Computing, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram（印度科学教育研究所特里凡得琅分校高性能计算中心）
Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powerful tracers of star-forming galaxies. We have defined a homogeneous subsample of 69 Swift GRB-selected galaxies spanning a very wide redshift range. Special attention has been devoted to making the sample optically unbiased through simple and well-defined selection criteria based on the high-energy properties of the bursts and their positions on the sky. Thanks to our extensive follow-up observations, this sample has now achieved a comparatively high degree of redshift completeness, and thus provides a legacy sample, useful for statistical studies…
We report the results of an extensive radio-continuum observing campaign of host galaxies of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The goal of this survey was to search for optically obscured star formation, possibly indicative of a population of young short-GRB progenitors. Our sample comprises the hosts and host-galaxy candidates of 16 short-GRBs from 2005 to 2015, corresponding to roughly 1/3 of the presently known ensemble of well-localized short bursts. Eight GRB fields were observed with ATCA (at 5.5 and 9.0 GHz), and eight fields with the VLA (mostly at 5.5 GHz). The observations typically ach…
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are found ubiquitously in large, bulge-dominated galaxies throughout the local universe, yet little is known about their presence and properties in bulgeless and low-mass galaxies. This is a significant deficiency, since the mass distribution and occupation fraction of nonstellar black holes provide important observational constraints on SMBH seed formation theories and many dwarf galaxies have not undergone major mergers that would erase information on their original black hole population. Using data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, we discovered …
We present cm-band and mm-band afterglow observations of five long-duration $γ$-ray bursts (GRBs; GRB 130131A, 130420B, 130609A, 131229A, 140713A) with dust-obscured optical afterglow emission, known as "dark" GRBs. We detect the radio afterglow of two of the dark GRBs (GRB 130131A and 140713A), along with a tentative detection of a third (GRB 131229A) with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). Supplemented by three additional VLA-detected dark GRBs from the literature, we present uniform modeling of their broadband afterglows. We derive high line-of-sight dust extinctions of $A_{V, \rm G…
We report the results of a spectroscopic search for Lyman-alpha emission from gamma-ray burst host galaxies. Based on the well-defined TOUGH sample of 69 X-ray selected Swift GRBs, we have targeted the hosts of a subsample of 20 GRBs known from afterglow spectroscopy to be in the redshift range 1.8-4.5. We detect Lya emission from 7 out of the 20 hosts, with the typical limiting 3sigma line flux being 8E-18 erg/cm2/s, corresponding to a Lya luminosity of 6E41 erg/s at z=3. The Lya luminosities for the 7 hosts in which we detect Lya emission are in the range (0.6-2.3)E42 erg/s corresponding to …
We report on an optical (SDSS) and X-ray (XMM) study of an optically selected sample of four dual AGN systems at projected separations of 30--60~kpc. All sources are detected in the X-ray band (0.3-10 keV); seven objects are optically identified as Seyfert, while one source, optically classified as a LINER, is likely powered by accretion in virtue of its relatively high X-ray luminosity (1.2$\times10^{41}$ erg/s). Six of the eight objects are obscured in X-rays with N$_{\rm H} \geq$ 10$^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$; three of these, whose X-ray spectrum is dominated by a reflection component, are likely Com…
We present a multi-wavelength analysis of the host galaxy of short-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) 150101B. Follow-up optical and X-ray observations suggested that the host galaxy, 2MASX J12320498-1056010, likely harbors a low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our modeling of the spectral energy distribution (SED) has confirmed the nature of the AGN, making it the first reported GRB host that contains an AGN. We have also found the host galaxy is a massive elliptical galaxy with stellar population of $\sim 5.7\ Gyr$, one of the oldest among the short-duration GRB hosts. Our analysis sugg…
We compare the properties of optically dark GRBs, defined by the optical-to-X-ray spectral index beta_OX<0.5, and normal ones discovered by the Swift satellite before the year 2008 in a statistical way, using data collected from the literature and online databases. Our sample include 200 long bursts, 19 short bursts, and 10 with measured high redshifts (z>=4). The ratio of dark bursts is found to be about 10-20%, and is similar between long bursts, short ones, and the high-z sub-sample. The result for long bursts is consistent with both the pre-Swift sample and studies by other authors on smal…
We present new Jansky Very Large Array observations of five pre-Swift gamma-ray bursts for which an ultraluminous (SFR > 100 M_sun/yr) dusty host galaxy had previously been inferred from radio or submillimetre observations taken within a few years after the burst. In four of the five cases we no longer detect any source at the host location to limits much fainter than the original observations, ruling out the existence of an ultraluminous galaxy hosting any of these GRBs. We continue to detect a source at the position of GRB 980703, but it is much fainter than it was a decade ago and the infer…
We present the results of a radio observing campaign on GRB 201216C, combined with publicly available optical and X-ray data. The detection of very high energy (VHE, >100GeV) emission by MAGIC makes this the fifth VHE GRB at time of publication. Comparison between the optical and X-ray light curves show that GRB 201216C is a dark GRB, i.e. the optical emission is significantly absorbed and is fainter than expected from the X-ray detections. Our e-MERLIN data also shows evidence of diffractive interstellar scintillation. We can study the column density along the line-of-sight to the GRB in both…
The prompt emission spectra of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) usually have a dominant component that is well described by a phenomenological "Band" function. The physical origin of this spectral component is debated. Although the traditional interpretation is synchrotron radiation of non-thermal electrons accelerated in internal shocks or magnetic dissipation regions, a growing trend in the community is to interpret this component as modified thermal emission from a dissipative photosphere of a GRB fireball. We analyze the time dependent spectrum of GRB 110721A detected by {\em Fermi} GBM and LAT, an…
Multi-wavelength study of EP250416a / GRB 250416C: An Optically Dark Long GRB with a Late Jet Break
Sun Yat-Sen University（中山大学）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院高能物理研究所）
The known host galaxies of short-hard gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to date are characterized by low to moderate star-formation rates and a broad range of stellar masses. In this paper, we positionally associate the recent unambiguously short-hard Swift GRB 100206A with a disk galaxy at redshift z=0.4068 that is rapidly forming stars at a rate of ~30 M_sun/yr, almost an order of magnitude higher than any previously identified short GRB host. Using photometry from Gemini, Keck, PAIRITEL, and WISE, we show that the galaxy is very red (g-K = 4.3 AB mag), heavily obscured (A_V ~ 2 mag), and has the high…
Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are powerful probes of the Universe star formation history, but correlation between the two depends on the highly debated presence/strength of a metallicity bias. To investigate this correlation, we use a phenomenological model that successfully describes star formation rates, luminosities and stellar masses of star forming galaxies, applying it to GRB production. We predict luminosities, stellar masses, and metallicities of host galaxies depending on the metallicity bias. Our best-fitting model includes a moderate metallicity bias, broadly consistent with…
Luminous infrared galaxies and submillimeter galaxies contribute significantly to stellar mass assembly and the frequency of GRBs in these systems provides an important test of the connection between the gamma-ray burst rate and that of overall cosmic star-formation. We present sensitive 3 GHz radio observations using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array of 32 uniformly-selected GRB host galaxies spanning a redshift range from 0 < z < 2.5, providing the first fully dust- and sample-unbiased measurement of the fraction of GRBs originating from the Universe's most bolometrically luminous galaxies…
GRB 160325A is the only bright burst detected by AstroSat CZT Imager in its primary field of view to date. In this work, we present the spectral and polarimetric analysis of the prompt emission of the burst using AstroSat, Fermi and Niel Gehrels Swift observations. The prompt emission consists of two distinct emission episodes separated by a few seconds of quiescent/ mild activity period. The first emission episode shows a thermal component as well as a low polarisation fraction of $PF < 37\, \%$ at $1.5\, σ$ confidence level. On the other hand, the second emission episode shows a non-thermal …
GRB-selected galaxies are broadly known to be faint, blue, young, star-forming dwarf galaxies. This insight, however, is based in part on heterogeneous samples of optically selected, lower-redshift galaxies. To study the statistical properties of GRB-selected galaxies we here introduce The Optically Unbiased GRB Host (TOUGH) complete sample of 69 X-ray selected Swift GRB host galaxies spanning the redshift range 0.03-6.30 and summarise the first results of a large observational survey of these galaxies.
We present ZTF18aaqjovh (SN 2018bvw), a high-velocity ("broad-lined") stripped-envelope (Type Ic) supernova (Ic-BL SN) discovered in the Zwicky Transient Facility one-day cadence survey. ZTF18aaqjovh shares a number of features in common with engine-driven explosions: the photospheric velocity and the shape of the optical light curve are very similar to that of the Type Ic-BL SN 1998bw, which was associated with a low-luminosity gamma-ray burst (LLGRB) and had relativistic ejecta. However, the radio luminosity of ZTF18aaqjovh is almost two orders of magnitude fainter than that of SN 1998bw at …
It is suggested that many $γ$-ray bursts (GRBs) are cloaked by an ultra-relativistic baryonic shell that has high optical depth when the photons are manufactured. Such a shell would not fully block photons reflected or emitted from its inner surface, because the radial velocity of the photons can be less than that of the shell. This avoids the standard problem associated with GRBs that the thermal component should be produced where the flow is still obscured by high optical depth. The radiation that escapes high optical depth obeys the Amati relation. Observational implications may include a) …
We propose a new method for the classification of optically dark gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), based on the X-ray and optical-to-X-ray spectral indices of GRB afterglows, and utilizing the spectral capabilities of Swift. This method depends less on model assumptions than previous methods, and can be used as a quick diagnostic tool to identify optically sub-luminous bursts. With this method we can also find GRBs that are extremely bright at optical wavelengths. We show that the previously suggested correlation between the optical darkness and the X-ray/gamma-ray brightness is merely an observational…
JWST unveils a dust-obscured supernova associated with a gamma-ray burst
Aix Marseille University（艾克斯-马赛大学）；CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心）；CNES（法国国家空间研究中心）；LAM（拉格朗日天体物理实验室）；Radboud University（拉德堡德大学）；University of Warwick（华威大学）；Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学卡弗里宇宙学研究所）；Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学天文研究所）；School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学物理与天文学院）；Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学引力波天文学研究所）；Université Paris-Saclay（巴黎萨克雷大学）；Université Paris Cité（巴黎西岱大学）；CEA（法国原子能和替代能源委员会）；AIM（天体物理学和分子相互作用实验室）；Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)（宇宙黎明中心）；Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen（哥本哈根大学尼尔斯玻尔研究所）；School of Physics and Centre for Space Research, University College Dublin（都柏林大学学院物理系与太空研究中心）；INAF – Osserva（意大利国家天体物理研究所观测站）
We searched for X-ray serendipitous sources in over 370 Swift-XRT fields centered on gamma ray bursts detected between 2004 and 2008 and observed with total exposures ranging from 10 ks to over 1 Ms. This defines the Swift Serendipitous Survey in deep XRT GRB fields, which is quite broad compared to existing surveys (~33 square degrees) and medium depth, with a faintest flux limit of 7.2e-16 erg cm^-2 s^-1 in the 0.5 to 2 keV energy range. The survey has a high degree of uniformity thanks to the stable point spread function and small vignetting correction factors of the XRT, moreover is comple…
The onset of GRB afterglow is characterized by a smooth bump in the early afterglow lightcurve. We make an extensive search for such a feature. Twenty optically selected GRBs and 12 X-ray selected GRBs are found, among which 17 optically selected GRBs and 2 X-ray-selected GRBs have redshift measurements. We fit the lightcurves with a smooth broken power-law and measure the temporal characteristic timescales of the bumps at FWHM. Strong mutual correlations among these timescales are found, and a dimmer and broader bump tends to peak at a later peak time. The ratio of rising to decaying timescal…
The number of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) known to have occurred in the distant Universe (z greater than 5) is small (approx 15), however these events provide a powerful way of probing star formation at the onset of galaxy evolution. In this paper, we present the case for GRB100205A being a largely overlooked high-redshift event. While initially noted as a high-z candidate, this event and its host galaxy have not been explored in detail. By combining optical and near-infrared Gemini afterglow imaging (at t less than 1.3 days since burst) with deep late-time limits on host emission from the Hu…
We evolve stellar models with zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) mass of $M_{\rm ZAMS} \gtrsim 18 M_\odot$ under the assumption that they experience an enhanced mass-loss rate when crossing the instability strip at high luminosities and conclude that most of them end as type Ibc supernovae (SNe Ibc) or dust-obscured SNe II. We explore what level of enhanced mass-loss rate during the instability strip would be necessary to explain the `red supergiant (RSG) problem'. This problem refers to the dearth of observed core-collapse supernovae progenitors with $M_{\rm ZAMS} \gtrsim 18 M_\odot$. Namely, we e…
We present the first unambiguous evidence of a broad (Gaussian width ~330 eV) component of the iron K-alpha fluorescent emission line in the X-ray obscured Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC5506. This is the main results of a spectroscopic monitoring campaign on this source performed with the XMM-Newton observatory between February 2001 and January 2009. The broad line lacks extreme redwards skewness. If modelled with a relativistic component, the profile of the line is consistent with a flat emissivity radial dependence (alpha~1.9). The disk inclination (~40 degrees) is nominally larger then ty…
Gamma-Ray Bursts can provide information about star formation at high redshifts. Even in the absence of a optical/near-infrared/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 study of GRB host galaxies. We focus on the search for the host galaxies of a sample of 17 bursts with XRT error circles but no detected long-wavelength afterglow. Three of these events can also be classified as truly dark bursts: the observed upper limit on the optical flux of the afterglow was less than expected ba…
