UV star-formation rates of GRB host galaxies

We study a magnitude-limited sample of 10 gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxies with known spectroscopic red- shifts (0.43 < z < 2.04). From an analysis of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs), based on published broad-band optical and near-infrared photometry, we derive photometric redshifts, galaxy types, ages of the dominant stellar populations, internal extinctions, and ultraviolet (UV) star-formation rates (SFRs) of the host galaxies. The photometric redshifts are quite accurate despite the heterogeneous nature of the sample: the rms errors are σ(z) = 0.21 and σ(∆z/(1 + zspec)) = 0.16 with no significant systematic offsets. All the host galaxies have SEDs similar to young starburst galaxies with moderate to low extinction. A comparison of specific SFRs with those of high-redshift galaxies in the Hubble Deep Fields shows that GRB hosts are most likely similar to the field galaxies with the largest specific SFRs. On the other hand, GRB hosts are not significantly younger than starburst field galaxies at similar redshifts, but are found to be younger than a sample of all types of field galaxies.

[1]  L. A. Antonelli,et al.  SN 2003lw and GRB 031203: A Bright Supernova for a Faint Gamma-Ray Burst , 2004, astro-ph/0405449.

[2]  Javier Gorosabel,et al.  The host galaxy of GRB 990712 , 2003, astro-ph/0309753.

[3]  V. Grinkov,et al.  UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) GRB 011121 : A Collimated Outflow into Wind-blown Surroundings , 2003 .

[4]  G. Bruzual,et al.  Stellar population synthesis at the resolution of 2003 , 2003, astro-ph/0309134.

[5]  E. Rol,et al.  Very High Column Density and Small Reddening toward GRB 020124 at z = 3.20 , 2003, astro-ph/0307331.

[6]  A. S. Fruchter,et al.  On the Lyalpha emission from gamma-ray burst host galaxies: Evidence for low metallicities , 2003, astro-ph/0306403.

[7]  K. Pedersen,et al.  A very energetic supernova associated with the γ-ray burst of 29 March 2003 , 2003, Nature.

[8]  Warren R. Brown,et al.  Spectroscopic Discovery of the Supernova 2003dh Associated with GRB 030329 , 2003, astro-ph/0304173.

[9]  Cambridge,et al.  Star cluster formation and evolution in nearby starburst galaxies — I. Systematic uncertainties , 2003, astro-ph/0302286.

[10]  S. Mereghetti,et al.  Are the hosts of gamma-ray bursts sub-luminous and blue galaxies? , 2003, astro-ph/0301149.

[11]  S. R. Kulkarni,et al.  The Redshift Determination of GRB 990506 and GRB 000418 with the Echellete Spectrograph Imager on Keck , 2002, astro-ph/0212123.

[12]  D. Frail,et al.  A Submillimeter and Radio Survey of Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies: A Glimpse into the Future of Star Formation Studies , 2002, astro-ph/0210645.

[13]  N. R. Tanvir,et al.  An HST study of three very faint GRB host galaxies , 2002, astro-ph/0204278.

[14]  L. Infante,et al.  Discovery of the Low-Redshift Optical Afterglow of GRB 011121 and Its Progenitor Supernova SN 2001ke , 2002, astro-ph/0204234.

[15]  S. Djorgovski,et al.  Keck Spectroscopy and Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of GRB 000926: Probing a Host Galaxy at z = 2.038 , 2001, astro-ph/0110566.

[16]  S. R. Kulkarni,et al.  The Redshift and the Host Galaxy of GRB 980613: A Gamma-Ray Burst from a Merger-induced Starburst? , 2000, astro-ph/0008029.

[17]  L. Piro,et al.  The Faint Optical Afterglow and Host Galaxy of GRB 020124: Implications for the Nature of Dark Gamma-Ray Bursts , 2002, astro-ph/0207320.

[18]  George R. Ricker,et al.  GRB 010921: Discovery of the First High Energy Transient Explorer Afterglow , 2002 .

[19]  Richard G. McMahon,et al.  The Afterglow and Complex Environment of the Optically Dim Burst GRB 980613 , 2002, astro-ph/0205126.

[20]  P. Soffitta,et al.  The Bright Gamma-Ray Burst of 2000 February 10: A Case Study of an Optically Dark Gamma-Ray Burst , 2002, astro-ph/0201282.

[21]  D. Lamb,et al.  LOTIS, Super-LOTIS, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and Tautenburg Observations of GRB 010921 , 2001, astro-ph/0112397.

[22]  E. Becklin,et al.  Are Starburst Galaxies the Hosts of Gamma-Ray Bursts? , 2001, astro-ph/0110010.

[23]  S. Djorgovski,et al.  The Observed Offset Distribution of Gamma-Ray Bursts from Their Host Galaxies: A Robust Clue to the Nature of the Progenitors , 2000, astro-ph/0010176.

[24]  A. Fontana,et al.  Multicolor Observations of the Hubble Deep Field South , 2001 .

[25]  A. S. Fruchter,et al.  The star-formation rate in the host of GRB 990712 , 2001, astro-ph/0110547.

[26]  S. Djorgovski,et al.  The GRB Host Galaxies and Redshifts , 2001, astro-ph/0107535.

[27]  S. R. Kulkarni,et al.  The Afterglow and the Host Galaxy of the Dark Burst GRB 970828 , 2001, astro-ph/0107539.

[28]  D. Frail,et al.  The Host Galaxy of GRB 980703 at Radio Wavelengths—a Nuclear Starburst in an Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy , 2001, astro-ph/0105081.

[29]  A. S. Fruchter,et al.  Host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts: Spectral energy distributions and internal extinction , 2001 .

[30]  P. Moller,et al.  The host galaxy and optical light curve of the gamma-ray burst GRB 980703 , 2001, astro-ph/0103058.

[31]  S. B. Pandey,et al.  The extraordinarily bright optical afterglow of GRB 991208 and its host galaxy , 2001, astro-ph/0102177.

[32]  S. R. Kulkarni,et al.  Submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Preprint typeset using L ATEX style emulateapj v. 04/03/99 THE REDSHIFT AND THE ORDINARY HOST GALAXY OF GRB 970228 1 , 1997 .

[33]  Alberto Fernandez-Soto,et al.  On the Compared Accuracy and Reliability of Spectroscopic and Photometric Redshift Measurements , 2000, astro-ph/0007447.

[34]  Holland,et al.  The Late Afterglow and Host Galaxy of GRB 990712 , 2000, The Astrophysical journal.

[35]  A. Kinney,et al.  The Dust Content and Opacity of Actively Star-forming Galaxies , 1999, astro-ph/9911459.

[36]  S. Djorgovski,et al.  The unusual afterglow of the γ-ray burst of 26 March 1998 as evidence for a supernova connection , 1999, Nature.

[37]  E. Rol,et al.  Evidence for a Supernova in Reanalyzed Optical and Near-Infrared Images of GRB 970228 , 1999, astro-ph/9907264.

[38]  Granada,et al.  Optical observations of GRB afterglows: GRB 970508 and GRB 980326 revisited , 1999, astro-ph/9906031.

[39]  L. A. Antonelli,et al.  The X-Ray, Optical, and Infrared Counterpart to GRB 980703 , 1999, astro-ph/9904286.

[40]  et,et al.  Decay of the GRB 990123 optical afterglow: implications for the fireball model , 1999, Science.

[41]  A. Yahil,et al.  A New Catalog of Photometric Redshifts in the Hubble Deep Field , 1998, astro-ph/9809126.

[42]  D. Frail,et al.  Radio emission from the unusual supernova 1998bw and its association with the γ-ray burst of 25 April 1998 , 1998, Nature.

[43]  M. C. Begam,et al.  An unusual supernova in the error box of the γ-ray burst of 25 April 1998 , 1998, Nature.

[44]  Caltech,et al.  Spectroscopy of the Host Galaxy of the Gamma-Ray Burst 980703 , 1998, astro-ph/9808188.

[45]  S. Djorgovski,et al.  The Host Galaxy of GRB 970508 , 1998, astro-ph/9807315.

[46]  M. Livio,et al.  The Fading Optical Counterpart of GRB 970228, 6 Months and 1 Year Later , 1998, astro-ph/9807295.

[47]  Jr.,et al.  STAR FORMATION IN GALAXIES ALONG THE HUBBLE SEQUENCE , 1998, astro-ph/9807187.

[48]  D. Schlegel,et al.  Maps of Dust Infrared Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Foregrounds , 1998 .

[49]  L. Pozzetti,et al.  The Star Formation History of Field Galaxies , 1997, astro-ph/9708220.

[50]  D. Schlegel,et al.  Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds , 1997, astro-ph/9710327.

[51]  O. Fèvre,et al.  The Canada-France Redshift Survey. VI. Evolution of the Galaxy Luminosity Function to Z approximately 1 , 1995, astro-ph/9507079.

[52]  Claude Brezinski,et al.  Numerical recipes in Fortran (The art of scientific computing) : W.H. Press, S.A. Teukolsky, W.T. Vetterling and B.P. Flannery, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 2nd ed., 1992. 963 pp., US$49.95, ISBN 0-521-43064-X.☆ , 1993 .

[53]  S. Woosley.  Gamma-ray bursts from stellar mass accretion disks around black holes , 1993 .

[54]  S. Charlot,et al.  Spectral evolution of stellar populations using isochrone synthesis , 1993 .

[55]  William H. Press,et al.  Book-Review - Numerical Recipes in Pascal - the Art of Scientific Computing , 1989 .

[56]  G. Fasano,et al.  A multidimensional version of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test , 1987 .

[57]  Edward L. Fitzpatrick,et al.  An average interstellar extinction curve for the Large Magellanic Cloud. , 1986 .

[58]  J. Peacock.  Two-dimensional goodness-of-fit testing in astronomy , 1983 .

[59]  Glenn E. Miller,et al.  The Initial mass function and stellar birthrate in the solar neighborhood , 1979 .

[60]  M. Seaton,et al.  Interstellar extinction in the UV , 1979 .

[61]  P. Schechter.  An analytic expression for the luminosity function for galaxies , 1976 .

[62]  E. Salpeter.  The Luminosity function and stellar evolution , 1955 .