Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T04:59:55.629Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

DLA systems in GRB afterglows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2005

P. M. Vreeswijk ,
S. L. Ellison ,
C. Ledoux ,
R. A. M. J. Wijers ,
J. P. U. Fynbo ,
P. Møller  and
J. Hjorth
P. M. Vreeswijk
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile
S. L. Ellison
Affiliation:
University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC, V8P 1A1, Canada
C. Ledoux
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile
R. A. M. J. Wijers
Affiliation:
Astronomical Institute ‘Anton Pannekoek’, University of Amsterdam & Center for High Energy Astrophysics, Kruislaan 403, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
J. P. U. Fynbo
Affiliation:
Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
P. Møller
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748, Garching bei München, Germany
J. Hjorth
Affiliation:
Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

To date, half a dozen DLAs have been detected in GRB afterglows, but most have modest signal-to-noise ratios. Our detection of a DLA in the afterglow of GRB 030323 is unambiguous: its neutral hydrogen column density is log N(HI)=21.90$\pm$0.07, higher than any (GRB- or QSO-) DLA HI column density inferred directly from Ly$\alpha$ in absorption. We discuss several other properties such as the metallicity, the detection of fine-structure lines of SiII, and our strong upper limit on the H$_2$ content. The GRB afterglow allows us to infer all these quantities, even with the host being as faint as V=28. The successful launch of the Swift satellite (November 2004) has made high-resolution spectroscopy of a large sample of GRB afterglows possible. This will offer a unique way to study in detail the interstellar medium inside GRB host galaxies as a function of redshift.

Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 1 , Colloquium C199: Probing Galaxies through Quasar Absorption Lines , March 2005 , pp. 174 - 179
Copyright
© 2005 International Astronomical Union