The host of GRB 030323 at z=3.372: a very high column density DLA system with a low metallicity

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dc.creatorVreeswijk, P. M.
dc.creatorEllison, S. L.
dc.creatorLedoux, C.
dc.creatorWijers, R. A. M. J.
dc.creatorFynbo, J. P. U.
dc.creatorMøller, P.
dc.creatorHenden, A.
dc.creatorHjorth, J.
dc.creatorMasi, G.
dc.creatorRol, E.
dc.creatorJensen, B. L.
dc.creatorTanvir, N.
dc.creatorLevan, A.
dc.creatorCerón, J. M. Castro
dc.creatorGorosabel, J.
dc.creatorCastro-Tirado, A. J.
dc.creatorFruchter, A. S.
dc.creatorKouveliotou, C.
dc.creatorBurud, I.
dc.creatorRhoads, J.
dc.creatorMasetti, N.
dc.creatorPalazzi, E.
dc.creatorPian, E.
dc.creatorPedersen, H.
dc.creatorKaper, L.
dc.creatorGilmore, A.
dc.creatorKilmartin, P.
dc.creatorBuckle, J. V.
dc.creatorSeigar, M. S.
dc.creatorHartmann, D. H.
dc.creatorLindsay, K.
dc.creatorHeuvel, E. P. J. van den
dc.date2004-03-03
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T11:57:04Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T11:57:04Z
dc.descriptionWe present photometry and spectroscopy of the afterglow of GRB 030323. VLT spectra of the afterglow show damped Lya (DLA) absorption and low- and high-ionization lines at a redshift z=3.3718+-0.0005. The inferred neutral hydrogen column density, log N(HI)=21.90+-0.07, is larger than any (GRB- or QSO-) DLA HI column density inferred directly from Lya in absorption. From the afterglow photometry, we derive a conservative upper limit to the host-galaxy extinction: A(V)<0.5 mag. The iron abundance is [Fe/H]=-1.47+-0.11, while the metallicity of the gas as measured from sulphur is [S/H]=-1.26+-0.20. We derive an upper limit on the H2 molecular fraction of 2N(H2)/(2N(H2)+N(HI))<~10^-6. In the Lya trough, a Lya emission line is detected, which corresponds to a star-formation rate (not corrected for dust extinction) of roughly 1 Msun per year. All these results are consistent with the host galaxy of GRB 030323 consisting of a low metallicity gas with a low dust content. We detect fine-structure lines of silicon, SiII*, which have never been clearly detected in QSO-DLAs; this suggests that these lines are produced in the vicinity of the GRB explosion site. Under the assumption that these fine-structure levels are populated by particle collisions, we estimate the HI volume density to be n_HI=100-10000 cm^-3. HST/ACS imaging 4 months after the burst shows an extended AB(F606W)=28.0+-0.3 mag object at a distance of 0.14" (1kpc) from the early afterglow location, which presumably is the host galaxy of GRB 030323.
dc.description15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0403080
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0403080
dc.identifierAstron.Astrophys.419:927-940,2004
dc.identifierdoi:10.1051/0004-6361:20040086
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/205755
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleThe host of GRB 030323 at z=3.372: a very high column density DLA system with a low metallicity
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