Journal article · Preprint article
Cold gas in the early Universe - Survey for neutral atomic-carbon in GRB host galaxies at 1 < z< 6 from optical afterglow spectroscopy : Survey for neutral atomic-carbon in GRB host galaxies at 1 < z< 6 from optical afterglow spectroscopy
University of Copenhagen1
University of Amsterdam2
National Institute for Astrophysics3
European Southern Observatory4
University of Iceland5
CNRS6
Université PSL7
Australian Astronomical Observatory8
University of Leicester9
Astrophysics and Atmospheric Physics, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark10
National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark11
...and 1 moreWe present a survey for neutral atomic-carbon (C I) along gamma-ray burst (GRB) sightlines, which probes the shielded neutral gas-phase in the interstellar medium (ISM) of GRB host galaxies at high redshift. We compile a sample of 29 medium- to high-resolution GRB optical afterglow spectra spanning a redshift range through most of cosmic time from 1 < z < 6.
We find that seven (≈25%) of the GRBs entering our statistical sample have C I detected in absorption. It is evident that there is a strong excess of cold gas in GRB hosts compared to absorbers in quasar sightlines. We investigate the dust properties of the GRB C I absorbers and find that the amount of neutral carbon is positively correlated with the visual extinction, AV, and the strength of the 2175 Å dust extinction feature, Abump.
GRBs with C I detected in absorption are all observed above a certain threshold of logN(H I)/cm−2 + [X/H] > 20.7 and a dust-phase iron column density of logN(Fe)dust/cm−2 > 16.2. In contrast to the SED-derived dust properties, the strength of the C I absorption does not correlate with the depletion-derived dust properties.
This indicates that the GRB C I absorbers trace dusty systems where the dust composition is dominated by carbon-rich dust grains. The observed higher metal and dust column densities of the GRB C I absorbers compared to H2- and C I-bearing quasar absorbers is mainly a consequence of how the two absorber populations are selected, but is also required in the presence of intense UV radiation fields in actively star-forming galaxies.
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | EDP Sciences |
Year: | 2019 |
Pages: | A20 |
ISSN: | 14320746 and 00046361 |
Types: | Journal article and Preprint article |
DOI: | 10.1051/0004-6361/201834246 |
ORCIDs: | Malesani, D. B. , 0000-0002-8149-8298 and 0000-0002-4465-8264 |