arXiv subjects

D. A. Perley

Publications and source records attributed to D. A. Perley.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

A new population of ultra-long duration gamma-ray bursts

We present comprehensive multiwavelength observations of three gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with durations of several thousand seconds. We demonstrate that these events are extragalactic transients; in particular we resolve the long-standing conundrum of the distance of GRB 101225A (the "Christmas-day burst"), finding it to have a redshift z=0.847, and showing that two apparently similar events (GRB 111209A and GRB 121027A) lie at z=0.677 and z=1.773 respectively. The systems show extremely unusual X-ray and optical lightcurves, very different from classical GRBs, with long lasting highly variable X-ray emission and optical light curves that exhibit little correlation with the behaviour seen in the X-ray. Their host galaxies are faint, compact, and highly star forming dwarf galaxies, typical of "blue compact galaxies". We propose that these bursts are the prototypes of a hitherto largely unrecognized population of ultra-long GRBs, that while observationally difficult to detect may be astrophysically relatively common. The long durations may naturally be explained by the engine driven explosions of stars of much larger radii than normally considered for GRB progenitors which are thought to have compact Wolf-Rayet progenitor stars. However, we cannot unambiguously identify supernova signatures within their light curves or spectra. We also consider the alternative possibility that they arise from the tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes.

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arXiv2012

Illuminating the Darkest Gamma-Ray Bursts with Radio Observations

We present X-ray, optical, near-infrared, and radio observations of GRBs 110709B and 111215A, as well as optical and near-IR observations of their host galaxies. The combination of X-ray detections and deep optical/near-infrared limits establish both bursts as "dark". Sub-arcsecond positions enabled by radio detections lead to robust host galaxy associations, with optical detections that indicate z < 4 (110709B) and 1.8 < z < 2.7 (111215A). Using the radio and X-ray data for each burst we find that GRB 110709B requires A_V > 5.3 mag and GRB 111215A requires A_V > 8.5 mag (z=2), among the largest extinction values inferred for dark bursts to-date. The two bursts also exhibit large neutral hydrogen column densities (N_H > 10^22/cm^2; z=2) as inferred from their X-ray spectra, in agreement with the trend for dark GRBs. Finally, we find that for both bursts the afterglow emission is best explained by a collimated outflow with a total beaming-corrected energy of E_gamma+E_K ~ 7-9 x 10^51 erg (z=2) expanding into a wind medium with a high density (n~100-350 cm^-3 at 10^17 cm). While the energy release is typical of long GRBs, the inferred density may be indicative of larger mass loss rates for GRB progenitors in dusty (and hence metal rich) environments. This study establishes the critical role of radio observations in determining the origin and properties of dark GRBs. Observations with the JVLA and ALMA will provide a sample with sub-arcsecond positions and robust host associations that will help shed light on obscured star formation and the role of metallicity in GRB progenitors.

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arXiv2012

Galaxy counterparts of intervening high-z sub-DLAs/DLAs and MgII absorbers towards gamma-ray bursts

We present the first search for galaxy counterparts of intervening high-z (2<z< 3.6) sub-DLAs and DLAs towards GRBs. Our final sample comprises of five intervening sub-DLAs and DLAs in four GRB fields. To identify candidate galaxy counterparts of the absorbers we use deep optical and near-infrared imaging, and low-, mid- and high-resolution spectroscopy acquired with 6 to 10-m class telescopes, the Hubble and the Spitzer space telescopes. Furthermore, we use the spectroscopic information and spectral-energy-distribution fitting techniques to study them in detail. Our main result is the detection and spectroscopic confirmation of the galaxy counterpart of the intervening DLA at z=3.096 in the field of GRB 070721B (z_GRB=3.6298) as proposed by other authors. We also identify good candidates for the galaxy counterparts of the two strong MgII absorbers at z=0.6915 and 1.4288 towards GRB 050820A (z_GRB=2.615). The properties of the detected DLA galaxy are typical for Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at similar redshifts; a young, highly starforming galaxy that shows evidence for a galactic outflow. This supports the hypothesis that a DLA can be the gaseous halo of an LBG. In addition, we report a redshift coincidence of different objects associated with metal lines in the same field, separated by 130-161 kpc. The high detection rate of three correlated structures on a length scale as small as ~150 kpc in two pairs of lines of sight is intriguing. The absorbers in each of these are most likely not part of the same gravitationally bound structure. They more likely represent groups of galaxies.

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arXiv2012

The origin of the early time optical emission of Swift GRB 080310

We present broadband multi-wavelength observations of GRB 080310 at redshift z = 2.43. This burst was bright and long-lived, and unusual in having extensive optical and near IR follow-up during the prompt phase. Using these data we attempt to simultaneously model the gamma-ray, X-ray, optical and IR emission using a series of prompt pulses and an afterglow component. Initial attempts to extrapolate the high energy model directly to lower energies for each pulse reveal that a spectral break is required between the optical regime and 0.3 keV to avoid over predicting the optical flux. We demonstrate that afterglow emission alone is insufficient to describe all morphology seen in the optical and IR data. Allowing the prompt component to dominate the early-time optical and IR and permitting each pulse to have an independent low energy spectral indices we produce an alternative scenario which better describes the optical light curve. This, however, does not describe the spectral shape of GRB 080310 at early times. The fit statistics for the prompt and afterglow dominated models are nearly identical making it difficult to favour either. However one enduring result is that both models require a low energy spectral index consistent with self absorption for at least some of the pulses identified in the high energy emission model.

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arXiv2011

An unusual stellar death on Christmas Day

Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the most dramatic examples of massive stellar deaths, usually as- sociated with supernovae (Woosley et al. 2006). They release ultra-relativistic jets producing non-thermal emission through synchrotron radiation as they interact with the surrounding medium (Zhang et al. 2004). Here we report observations of the peculiar GRB 101225A (the "Christmas burst"). Its gamma-ray emission was exceptionally long and followed by a bright X-ray transient with a hot thermal component and an unusual optical counterpart. During the first 10 days, the optical emission evolved as an expanding, cooling blackbody after which an additional component, consistent with a faint supernova, emerged. We determine its distance to 1.6 Gpc by fitting the spectral-energy distribution and light curve of the optical emission with a GRB-supernova template. Deep optical observations may have revealed a faint, unresolved host galaxy. Our proposed progenitor is a helium star-neutron star merger that underwent a common envelope phase expelling its hydrogen envelope. The resulting explosion created a GRB-like jet which gets thermalized by interacting with the dense, previously ejected material and thus creating the observed black-body, until finally the emission from the supernova dominated. An alternative explanation is a minor body falling onto a neutron star in the Galaxy (Campana et al. 2011).

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arXiv2011

The dark GRB080207 in an extremely red host and the implications for GRBs in highly obscured environments

[Abridged] We present comprehensive X-ray, optical, near- and mid-infrared, and sub-mm observations of GRB 080207 and its host galaxy. The afterglow was undetected in the optical and near-IR, implying an optical to X-ray index <0.3, identifying GRB 080207 as a dark burst. Swift X-ray observations show extreme absorption in the host, which is confirmed by the unusually large optical extinction found by modelling the X-ray to nIR afterglow spectral energy distribution. Our Chandra observations obtained 8 days post-burst allow us to place the afterglow on the sky to sub-arcsec accuracy, enabling us to pinpoint an extremely red galaxy (ERO). Follow-up host observations with HST, Spitzer, Gemini, Keck and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) provide a photometric redshift solution of z ~1.74 (+0.05,-0.06) (1 sigma), 1.56 < z < 2.08 at 2 sigma) for the ERO host, and suggest that it is a massive and morphologically disturbed ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) system, with L_FIR ~ 2.4 x 10^12 L_solar. These results add to the growing evidence that GRBs originating in very red hosts always show some evidence of dust extinction in their afterglows (though the converse is not true -- some extinguished afterglows are found in blue hosts). This indicates that a poorly constrained fraction of GRBs occur in very dusty environments. By comparing the inferred stellar masses, and estimates of the gas phase metallicity in both GRB hosts and sub-mm galaxies we suggest that many GRB hosts, even at z>2 are at lower metallicity than the sub-mm galaxy population, offering a likely explanation for the dearth of sub-mm detected GRB hosts. However, we also show that the dark GRB hosts are systematically more massive than those hosting optically bright events, perhaps implying that previous host samples are severely biased by the exclusion of dark events.

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arXiv2011

Constraining GRB Emission Physics with Extensive Early-Time, Multiband Follow-up

Understanding the origin and diversity of emission processes responsible for Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) remains a pressing challenge. While prompt and contemporaneous panchromatic observations have the potential to test predictions of the internal-external shock model, extensive multiband imaging has been conducted for only a few GRBs. We present rich, early-time, multiband datasets for two \swift\ events, GRB 110205A and GRB 110213A. The former shows optical emission since the early stages of the prompt phase, followed by the steep rising in flux up to ~1000s after the burst ($t^{-α}$ with $α=-6.13 \pm 0.75$). We discuss this feature in the context of the reverse-shock scenario and interpret the following single power-law decay as being forward-shock dominated. Polarization measurements, obtained with the RINGO2 instrument mounted on the Liverpool Telescope, also provide hints on the nature of the emitting ejecta. The latter event, instead, displays a very peculiar optical to near-infrared lightcurve, with two achromatic peaks. In this case, while the first peak is probably due to the onset of the afterglow, we interpret the second peak to be produced by newly injected material, signifying a late-time activity of the central engine.

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arXiv2011

A faint optical flash in dust-obscured GRB 080603A - implications for GRB prompt emission mechanisms

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 spectral energy distribution is interesting in requiring an LMC2 extinction profile, in contrast to the majority of GRBs. Comparison of the gamma-ray and extinction-corrected optical flux densities of the flash rules out an inverse-Compton origin for the prompt gamma-rays; instead, we suggest that the optical flash could originate from the inhomogeneity of the relativistic flow. In this scenario, a large velocity irregularity in the flow produces the prompt gamma-rays, followed by a milder internal shock at a larger radius that would cause the optical flash. Flat gamma-ray spectra, roughly F propto nu^-0.1, are observed in many GRBs. If the flat spectrum extends down to the optical band in GRB 080603A, the optical flare could be explained as the low-energy tail of the gamma-ray emission. If this is indeed the case, it provides an important clue to understanding the nature of the emission process in the prompt phase of GRBs and highlights the importance of deep (R> 20 mag), rapid follow-up observations capable of detecting faint, prompt optical emission.

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arXiv2011

An extremely luminous panchromatic outburst from the nucleus of a distant galaxy

Variable X-ray and gamma-ray emission is characteristic of the most extreme physical processes in the Universe, and studying the sources of these energetic photons has been a major driver in astronomy for the past 50 years. Here we present multiwavelength observations of a unique gamma-ray selected transient, discovered by Swift, which was accompanied by bright emission across the electromagnetic spectrum, and whose properties are unlike any previously observed source. We pinpoint the event to the center of a small, star-forming galaxy at redshift z=0.3534. Its high-energy emission has lasted much longer than any gamma-ray burst, while its peak luminosity was about 100 times higher than the brightest active galactic nuclei. The association of the outburst with the center of its host galaxy suggests that this phenomenon has its origin in a new, rare mechanism associated with a massive black hole in the nucleus of a galaxy.

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arXiv2011

SN2008am: A Super-Luminous Type IIn Supernova

We present observations and interpretation of the Type IIn supernova SN 2008am discovered by the ROTSE Supernova Verification Project (RSVP). SN 2008am peaked at approximately -22.3 mag at a redshift of z=0.2338, giving it a peak luminosity of 3 x 10^{44}erg/s and making it one of the most luminous supernovae ever observed. The total radiated energy is ~ 2 x 10^{51} erg. Photometric observations in the ultraviolet, optical and infrared bands (J,H,Ks) constrain the SED evolution. We obtained six optical spectra of the supernova, five on the early decline from maximum light and a sixth nearly a year later plus a very late-time spectrum (~2 yr) of the host galaxy. The spectra of SN 2008am show strong Balmer-line and He I lambda 5876A emission with intermediate widths (~25A) in the first ~40 days after optical maximum. We examine a variety of models for the line wings and conclude that multiple scattering is most likely, implying that our spectra contain no specific information on the bulk flow velocity. We examine a variety of models for the ROTSE light curve subject to the rise time and the nature of the spectra, including radioactive decay, shocks in optically-thick and optically-thin circumstellar media (CSM) and a magnetar. The most successful model is one for which the CSM is optically-thick and in which diffusion of forward shock-deposited luminosity gives rise to the observed light curve. Diffusion of the shock-deposited energy from the forward shock is found to be important to account for the rising part of the light curve. Although there are differences in detail, SN 2008am appears to be closely related to other super-luminous Type IIn supernovae, SN 2006gy, SN 2006tf and perhaps SN 2008iy, that may represent the deaths of very massive LBV-type progenitors and for which the luminosity is powered by the interaction of the ejecta with a dense circumstellar medium.

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arXiv2010

Discovery of SN 2009nz Associated with GRB 091127

We report SMARTS, Gemini and Swift-UVOT observations of the optical transient (OT) associated with gamma-ray burst (GRB) 091127, at redshift 0.49, taken between 0.9 hr and 102 days following the Swift trigger. In our early-time observations, the OT fades in a manner consistent with previously observed GRB afterglows. However, after 9 days post-burst, the OT is observed to brighten for a period of ~2 weeks, after which the source resumes fading. A comparison of this late-time "bump" to SN 1998bw (the broad-lined Type Ic supernova associated with GRB 980425), and several other GRB supernovae (SNe), indicates that the most straightforward explanation is that GRB 091127 was accompanied by a contemporaneous SN (SN 2009nz) that peaked at a magnitude of M_V=-19.0+/-0.2. SN 2009nz is globally similar to other GRB supernovae, but evolves slightly faster than SN 1998bw and reaches a slightly dimmer peak magnitude. We also analyze the early-time UV-optical-IR spectral energy distribution of the afterglow of GRB 091127 and find that there is little to no reddening in the host galaxy along the line-of-slight to this burst.

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arXiv2010

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

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 $t=0.090\pm0.005$ and $t=2.401\pm0.061$ 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 \ion{S}{II} and \ion{Fe}{II} of [S/H] = --0.57 $\pm$0.25 and [Fe/H] = --1.09$\pm$0.24 is relatively high for a galaxy at that redshift but comparable to the metallicity of other GRB hosts at similar redshifts. At the position of the afterglow, no host is detected to F775W(AB) = 28.5 mag with the HST, implying an absolute magnitude of the host M(1500 Å)$>$--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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arXiv2010

Afterglow Observations of Fermi-LAT Gamma-Ray Bursts and the Emerging Class of Hyper-Energetic Events

We present broadband (radio, optical, and X-ray) light curves and spectra of the afterglows of four long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs 090323, 090328, 090902B, and 090926A) detected by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and Large Area Telescope (LAT) instruments on the Fermi satellite. With its wide spectral bandpass, extending to GeV energies, Fermi is sensitive to GRBs with very large isotropic energy releases (10e54 erg). Although rare, these events are particularly important for testing GRB central-engine models. When combined with spectroscopic redshifts, our afterglow data for these four events are able to constrain jet collimation angles, the density structure of the circumburst medium, and both the true radiated energy release and the kinetic energy of the outflows. In agreement with our earlier work, we find that the relativistic energy budget of at least one of these events (GRB 090926A) exceeds the canonical value of 10e51 erg by an order of magnitude. Such energies pose a severe challenge for models in which the GRB is powered by a magnetar or neutrino-driven collapsar, but remain compatible with theoretical expectations for magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) collapsar models. Our jet opening angles (theta) are similar to those found for pre-Fermi GRBs, but the large initial Lorentz factors (Gamma_0) inferred from the detection of GeV photons imply theta Gamma_0 ~ 70-90, values which are above those predicted in MHD models of jet acceleration. Finally, we find that these Fermi-LAT events preferentially occur in a low-density circumburst environment, and we speculate that this might result from the lower mass-loss rates of their lower-metallicity progenitor stars. Future studies of Fermi-LAT afterglows in the radio with the order-of-magnitude improvement in sensitivity offered by the EVLA should definitively establish the relativistic energy budgets of these events.

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arXiv2010

GRB 090902B: afterglow observations and implications

The optical-infrared afterglow of the LAT-detected long duration burst, GRB 090902B, has been observed by several instruments. The earliest detection by ROTSE-IIIa occurred 80 minutes after detection by the GBM instrument onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, revealing a bright afterglow and a decay slope suggestive of a reverse shock origin. Subsequent optical-IR observations followed the light curve for 6.5 days. The temporal and spectral behavior at optical-infrared frequencies is consistent with synchrotron fireball model predictions; the cooling break lies between optical and XRT frequencies ~ 1.9 days after the burst. The inferred electron energy index is $p = 1.8 \pm 0.2$, which would however imply an X-ray decay slope flatter than observed. The XRT and LAT data have similar spectral indices and the observed steeper value of the LAT temporal index is marginally consistent with the predicted temporal decay in the radiative regime of the forward shock model. Absence of a jet break during the first 6 days implies a collimation-corrected $γ$-ray energy $E_γ > 2.2\times10^{52}\rm$ ergs, one of the highest ever seen in a long-duration GRBs. More events combining GeV photon emission with multi-wavelength observations will be required to constrain the nature of the central engine powering these energetic explosions and to explore the correlations between energetic quanta and afterglow emission.

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arXiv2009

Unveiling the Origin of GRB 090709A: Lack of Periodicity in a Reddened Cosmological Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst

We present broadband (gamma-ray, X-ray, near-infrared, optical, and radio) observations of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 090709A and its afterglow in an effort to ascertain the origin of this high-energy transient. Previous analyses suggested that GRB 090709A exhibited quasi-periodic oscillations with a period of 8.06 s, a trait unknown in long-duration GRBs but typical of flares from soft gamma-ray repeaters. When properly accounting for the underlying shape of the power-density spectrum of GRB 090709A, we find no conclusive (> 3 sigma) evidence for the reported periodicity. In conjunction with the location of the transient (far from the Galactic plane and absent any nearby host galaxy in the local universe) and the evidence for extinction in excess of the Galactic value, we consider a magnetar origin relatively unlikely. A long-duration GRB, however, can account for the majority of the observed properties of this source. GRB 090709A is distinguished from other long-duration GRBs primarily by the large amount of obscuration from its host galaxy (A_K,obs >~ 2 mag).

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arXiv2009

The Host Galaxies of Swift Dark Gamma-Ray Bursts: Observational Constraints on Highly Obscured and Very High-Redshift GRBs

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 Swift GRBs coming from very high redshift (z > 7), such as the recent GRB 090423, to between 0.2-7 percent at 80% confidence. In contrast, a significant fraction of the sample requires large extinction columns (host-frame A_V > 1 mag, with several events showing A_V > 2-6 mag), identifying dust extinction as the dominant cause of the dark GRB phenomenon. We infer that a significant fraction of GRBs (and, by association, of high-mass star formation) occurs in highly obscured regions. However, the host galaxies of dark GRBs seem to have normal optical colors, suggesting that the source of obscuring dust is local to the vicinity of the GRB progenitor or highly unevenly distributed within the host galaxy.

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arXiv2009

Low-Resolution Spectroscopy of Gamma-ray Burst Optical Afterglows: Biases in the Swift Sample and Characterization of the Absorbers

(Abridged). We present a sample of 77 optical afterglows (OAs) of Swift detected GRBs for which spectroscopic follow-up observations have been secured. We provide linelists and equivalent widths for all detected lines redward of Ly-alpha. We discuss to what extent the current sample of Swift bursts with OA spectroscopy is a biased subsample of all Swift detected GRBs. For that purpose we define an X-ray selected sample of Swift bursts with optimal conditions for ground-based follow up from the period March 2005 to September 2008; 146 bursts fulfill our sample criteria. We derive the redshift distribution for this sample and conclude that less than 19% of Swift bursts are at z>7. We compare the high energy properties for three sub-samples of bursts in the sample: i) bursts with redshifts measured from OA spectroscopy, ii) bursts with detected OA, but no OA-based redshift, and iii) bursts with no detection of the OA. The bursts in group i) have significantly less excess X-ray absorption than bursts in the other two groups. In addition, the fraction of dark bursts is 14% in group i), 38% in group ii) and > 39% in group iii). From this we conclude that the sample of GRBs with OA spectroscopy is not representative for all Swift bursts, most likely due to a bias against the most dusty sight-lines. Finally, we characterize GRB absorption systems as a class and compare them to QSO absorption systems, in particular DLAs. On average GRB absorbers are characterized by significantly stronger EWs for HI as well as for both low and high ionization metal lines than what is seen in intervening QSO absorbers. Based on the z>2 bursts in the sample we place a 95% confidence upper limit of 7.5% on the mean escape fraction of ionizing photons from star-forming galaxies.

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arXiv2009

The Discovery of Vibrationally-Excited H_2 in the Molecular Cloud near GRB 080607

GRB 080607 has provided the first strong observational signatures of molecular absorption bands toward any galaxy hosting a gamma-ray burst. Despite the identification of dozens of features as belonging to various atomic and molecular (H_2 and CO) carriers, many more absorption features remained unidentified. Here we report on a search among these features for absorption from vibrationally-excited H_2, a species that was predicted to be produced by the UV flash of a GRB impinging on a molecular cloud. Following a detailed comparison between our spectroscopy and static, as well as dynamic, models of H_2* absorption, we conclude that a column density of 10^{17.5+-0.2} cm^{-2} of H_2* was produced along the line of sight toward GRB 080607. Depending on the assumed amount of dust extinction between the molecular cloud and the GRB, the model distance between the two is found to be in the range 230--940 pc. Such a range is consistent with a conservative lower limit of 100 pc estimated from the presence of Mg I in the same data. These distances show that substantial molecular material is found within hundreds of pc from GRB 080607, part of the distribution of clouds within the GRB host galaxy.

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