The Host Galaxies of Gamma Ray Bursts

Paper number

IAC-05-A3.P.01

Author

Ms. Suzanne Foley, University College Dublin, Ireland

Year

2005

Abstract

The phenomena of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have led to much progress being made in our understanding of the universe. GRBs are transient explosions that occur anywhere in the universe at a rate of a few times per day. They are likely to be caused by the collapse and subsequent explosions of massive stars. They can probably be observed out to distances comparable to, or even farther than the most distant quasars, making them useful to cosmology as lighthouses of the universe. Gamma-ray bursts hold the promise of revealing the properties of the first galaxies and are detected using space-based
observatories that are not limited by the earth's atmosphere.

Energetically, GRBs are analagous to supernovae and in some cases are related to the phenomenon. This paper deals with the field of one such GRB, namely that of GRB980425, associated with the supernova
SN1998bw. Image reduction and spectroscopic analysis has been undertaken on optical data of several galaxies appearing in the same line of sight as the GRB host galaxy, ESO 184-G82, using the Danish
1.54m telescope at La Silla. GRBs are known to occur in galaxy regions of high star-formation. In the case of the
host galaxy of GRB980425, it is suggested that the
star formation activity may have been increased due to its interaction with these nearby galaxies. The objective of this analysis is to determine if these galaxies do in fact lie at distances from the earth comparable to the host galaxy. The analysis is being performed using the
National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) Image Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF). This involves preliminary reduction which includes zero-biasing and flat-fielding the CCD images and the subsequent extraction of wavelength-calibrated spectra for these
galaxies. The redshift of each galaxy can then be deduced from the shifts of known spectral lines. Using Hubble's Law, the distances of these galaxies from the earth can then be inferred.

Abstract document

IAC-05-A3.P.01.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-05-A3.P.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.