Hubble Space Telescope STIS Observations of GRB 000301C: CCD Imaging and Near-Ultraviolet MAMA Spectroscopy
- Creators
- Smette, Alain
- Fruchter, Andrew S.
- Gull, Theodore R.
- Sahu, Kailash C.
- Petro, Larry
- Ferguson, Henry
- Rhoads, James
- Lindler, Don J.
- Gibbons, Rachel
- Hogg, David W.
- Kouveliotou, Chryssa
- Livio, Mario
- Macchetto, Duccio
- Metzger, Mark R.
- Pedersen, Holger
- Pian, Elena
- Thorsett, Stephen E.
- Wijers, Ralph A. M. J.
- Fynbo, Johan P. U.
- Gorosabel, Javier
- Hjorth, Jens
- Jensen, Brian L.
- Levine, Alan
- Smith, Donald A.
- Cline, Tom
- Hurley, Kevin
- Trombka, Jack
Abstract
We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the optical transient (OT) counterpart of the γ-ray burster GRB 000301C obtained 5 days after the burst, on 2000 March 6. CCD clear-aperture imaging reveals a R ≃ 21.50 ± 0.15 source with no apparent host galaxy. An 8000 s, 1150 Å < λ < 3300 Å near-ultraviolet MAMA prism spectrum shows a flat or slightly rising continuum (in f_λ) between 2800 and 3300 Å, with a mean flux of (8.7^(+0.8)_(-1.6) ± 2.6) × 10^(-18) ergs s^(-1) cm^(-2)Å^(-1), and a sharp break centered at 2797 ± 25 Å. We interpret this as the H I Lyman break at z = 2.067 ± 0.025, indicating the presence of a cloud with an H I column density log N_(H I(cm^2) > 18 on the line of sight to the OT. This measured redshift is conservatively a lower limit to the GRB redshift. However, as all other GRBs that have deep Hubble Space Telescope images appear to lie on the stellar field of a host galaxy, and as the large H I column density measured here and in later ground-based observations is unlikely on a random line of sight, we believe we are probably seeing absorption from H I in the host galaxy. In any case, this represents the largest direct redshift determination of a γ-ray burster to date. Our data are compatible with an OT spectrum represented by a power law with an intrinsic index α = 1.2 (f_ν ∝ ν^(-α)) and no extinction in the host galaxy, or with α = 0.5 and extinction by SMC-like dust in the OT rest frame with A_V = 0.15. The large N_(H I) and the lack of a detected host are similar to the situation for damped Lyα absorbers at z > 2.
Additional Information
© 2001 The American Astronomical Society. Received 2000 July 14; accepted 2001 March 9. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. This work was supported in part by NASA through STIS GTO funding, by STScI GO funding under NASA contract NAS 5-26555, and by the Danish Natural Research Council (SNF). K. H. is grateful for Ulysses support under JPL contract 958056, and for NEAR support under NAG 5-9503 and NAG 5-3500.Attached Files
Published - Smette_2001_ApJ_556_70.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 96266
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20190611-081842728
- NAS 5-26555
- NASA
- Danish Natural Research Council
- 958056
- JPL
- NAG 5-9503
- NASA
- NAG 5-3500
- NASA
- Created
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2019-06-11Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field