GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst

N.~P.~M. Kuin; W. Landsman; M.~J. Page; P. Schady; M. Still; A.~A. Breeveld; M. de Pasquale; P.~W.~A. Roming; P.~J. Brown; M. Carter; C. James; P.~A. Curran; A. Cucchiara; C. Gronwall; S.~T. Holland; E.~A. Hoversten; S. Hunsberger; T. Kennedy; S. Koch; H. Lamoureux; F.~E. Marshall; S.~R. Oates; A. Parsons; D.~M. Palmer; P.~J. Smith

doi:10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00632.x

GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst

N.~P.~M. Kuin, W. Landsman, M.~J. Page, P. Schady, M. Still, A.~A. Breeveld, M. de Pasquale, P.~W.~A. Roming, P.~J. Brown, M. Carter, C. James, P.~A. Curran, A. Cucchiara, C. Gronwall, S.~T. Holland, E.~A. Hoversten, S. Hunsberger, T. Kennedy, S. Koch, H. LamoureuxF.~E. Marshall, S.~R. Oates, A. Parsons, D.~M. Palmer, P.~J. Smith

Department of Physics

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Abstract

We present the earliest ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) as observed with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). The GRB 081203A spectrum was observed for 50 s with the UV-grism starting 251 s after the Swift-Burst-Alert-Telescope (BAT) trigger. During this time, the GRB was ≈13.4 mag (u filter) and was still rising to its peak optical brightness. In the UV-grism spectrum, we find a damped Lyα line, Lyβ and the Lyman continuum break at a redshift z= 2.05 ± 0.01. A model fit to the Lyman absorption implies a gas column density of log NH i= 22.0 ± 0.1 cm−2, which is typical of GRB host galaxies with damped Lyα absorbers. This observation of GRB 081203A demonstrates that for brighter GRBs (v≈ 14 mag) with moderate redshift (0.5 < z < 3.5) the UVOT is able to provide redshifts, and probe for damped Lyα absorbers within 4–6 min from the time of the Swift-BAT trigger.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	L21-L24
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume	395
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00632.x
Publication status	Published - 1 May 2009

Keywords

instrumentation: spectrographs, gamma-rays: bursts, Astrophysics

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10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00632.x

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Kuin, N. P. M., Landsman, W., Page, M. J., Schady, P., Still, M., Breeveld, A. A., de Pasquale, M., Roming, P. W. A., Brown, P. J., Carter, M., James, C., Curran, P. A., Cucchiara, A., Gronwall, C., Holland, S. T., Hoversten, E. A., Hunsberger, S., Kennedy, T., Koch, S., ... Smith, P. J. (2009). GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 395(1), L21-L24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00632.x

Kuin, NPM, Landsman, W, Page, MJ, Schady, P, Still, M, Breeveld, AA, de Pasquale, M, Roming, PWA, Brown, PJ, Carter, M, James, C, Curran, PA, Cucchiara, A, Gronwall, C, Holland, ST, Hoversten, EA, Hunsberger, S, Kennedy, T, Koch, S, Lamoureux, H, Marshall, FE, Oates, SR, Parsons, A, Palmer, DM & Smith, PJ 2009, 'GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 395, no. 1, pp. L21-L24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00632.x

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title = "GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst",

abstract = "We present the earliest ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) as observed with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). The GRB 081203A spectrum was observed for 50 s with the UV-grism starting 251 s after the Swift-Burst-Alert-Telescope (BAT) trigger. During this time, the GRB was ≈13.4 mag (u filter) and was still rising to its peak optical brightness. In the UV-grism spectrum, we find a damped Lyα line, Lyβ and the Lyman continuum break at a redshift z= 2.05 ± 0.01. A model fit to the Lyman absorption implies a gas column density of log NH i= 22.0 ± 0.1 cm−2, which is typical of GRB host galaxies with damped Lyα absorbers. This observation of GRB 081203A demonstrates that for brighter GRBs (v≈ 14 mag) with moderate redshift (0.5 < z < 3.5) the UVOT is able to provide redshifts, and probe for damped Lyα absorbers within 4–6 min from the time of the Swift-BAT trigger.",

keywords = "instrumentation: spectrographs, gamma-rays: bursts, Astrophysics",

author = "N.~P.~M. Kuin and W. Landsman and M.~J. Page and P. Schady and M. Still and A.~A. Breeveld and {de Pasquale}, M. and P.~W.~A. Roming and P.~J. Brown and M. Carter and C. James and P.~A. Curran and A. Cucchiara and C. Gronwall and S.~T. Holland and E.~A. Hoversten and S. Hunsberger and T. Kennedy and S. Koch and H. Lamoureux and F.~E. Marshall and S.~R. Oates and A. Parsons and D.~M. Palmer and P.~J. Smith",

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T1 - GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst

AU - Kuin, N.~P.~M.

AU - Landsman, W.

AU - Page, M.~J.

AU - Schady, P.

AU - Still, M.

AU - Breeveld, A.~A.

AU - de Pasquale, M.

AU - Roming, P.~W.~A.

AU - Brown, P.~J.

AU - Carter, M.

AU - James, C.

AU - Curran, P.~A.

AU - Cucchiara, A.

AU - Gronwall, C.

AU - Holland, S.~T.

AU - Hoversten, E.~A.

AU - Hunsberger, S.

AU - Kennedy, T.

AU - Koch, S.

AU - Lamoureux, H.

AU - Marshall, F.~E.

AU - Oates, S.~R.

AU - Parsons, A.

AU - Palmer, D.~M.

AU - Smith, P.~J.

PY - 2009/5/1

Y1 - 2009/5/1

N2 - We present the earliest ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) as observed with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). The GRB 081203A spectrum was observed for 50 s with the UV-grism starting 251 s after the Swift-Burst-Alert-Telescope (BAT) trigger. During this time, the GRB was ≈13.4 mag (u filter) and was still rising to its peak optical brightness. In the UV-grism spectrum, we find a damped Lyα line, Lyβ and the Lyman continuum break at a redshift z= 2.05 ± 0.01. A model fit to the Lyman absorption implies a gas column density of log NH i= 22.0 ± 0.1 cm−2, which is typical of GRB host galaxies with damped Lyα absorbers. This observation of GRB 081203A demonstrates that for brighter GRBs (v≈ 14 mag) with moderate redshift (0.5 < z < 3.5) the UVOT is able to provide redshifts, and probe for damped Lyα absorbers within 4–6 min from the time of the Swift-BAT trigger.

AB - We present the earliest ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) as observed with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). The GRB 081203A spectrum was observed for 50 s with the UV-grism starting 251 s after the Swift-Burst-Alert-Telescope (BAT) trigger. During this time, the GRB was ≈13.4 mag (u filter) and was still rising to its peak optical brightness. In the UV-grism spectrum, we find a damped Lyα line, Lyβ and the Lyman continuum break at a redshift z= 2.05 ± 0.01. A model fit to the Lyman absorption implies a gas column density of log NH i= 22.0 ± 0.1 cm−2, which is typical of GRB host galaxies with damped Lyα absorbers. This observation of GRB 081203A demonstrates that for brighter GRBs (v≈ 14 mag) with moderate redshift (0.5 < z < 3.5) the UVOT is able to provide redshifts, and probe for damped Lyα absorbers within 4–6 min from the time of the Swift-BAT trigger.

KW - instrumentation: spectrographs, gamma-rays: bursts, Astrophysics

U2 - 10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00632.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00632.x

M3 - Article

SN - 0035-8711

VL - 395

SP - L21-L24

JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

IS - 1

ER -

GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst

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