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Register a new userGamma-Ray-Burst Host Galaxy Surveys at Redshift z>4: Probes of Star Formation Rate and Cosmic Reionization
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Measuring the star formation rate (SFR) at high redshift is crucial for understanding cosmic reionization and galaxy formation. Two common complementary approaches are Lyman-Break-Galaxy (LBG) surveys for large samples and Gamma-Ray-Burst (GRB) observations for sensitivity to SFR in small galaxies. The z>4 GRB-inferred SFR is higher than the LBG rate, but this difference is difficult to understand, as both methods rely on several modeling assumptions. Using a physically motivated galaxy luminosity function model, with star formation in dark-matter halos with virial temperature Tvir>2e4 K (M_DM>2e8 M_sun), we show that GRB and LBG-derived SFRs are consistent if GRBs extend to faint galaxies (M_AB<-11). To test star formation below the detection limit L_lim~0.05L^*_{z=3} of LBG surveys, we propose to measure the fraction f_det(L>L_lim,z) of GRB hosts with L>L_lim. This fraction quantifies the missing star formation fraction in LBG surveys, constraining the mass-suppression scale for galaxy formation, with weak dependence on modeling assumptions. Because f_det(L>L_lim,z) corresponds to the ratio of star formation rates derived from LBG and GRB surveys, if these estimators are unbiased, measuring f_det(L>L_lim,z) also constrains the redshift evolution of the GRB production rate per unit mass of star formation. Our analysis predicts significant success for GRB host detections at z~5 with f_det(L>L_lim,z)~0.4, but rarer detections at z>6. By analyzing the upper limits on host-galaxy luminosities of six z>5 GRBs from literature data, we infer that galaxies with M_AB>-15 were present at z>5 at 95% confidence, demonstrating the key role played by very faint galaxies during reionization.
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The galaxies hosting the most energetic explosions in the universe, the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), are generally found to be low-mass, metal poor, blue and star forming galaxies. However, the majority of the targets investigated so far (less than 100) are at relatively low redshift, z < 2. We know that at low redshift, the cosmic star formation is predominantly in small galaxies. Therefore, at low redshift, long-duration GRBs, which are associated with massive stars, are expected to be in small galaxies. Preliminary investigations of the stellar mass function of z < 1.5 GRB hosts does not indicate that these galaxies are different from the general population of nearby star-forming galaxies. At high-z, it is still unclear whether GRB hosts are different. Recent results indicate that a fraction of them might be associated with dusty regions in massive galaxies. Remarkable is the a super-solar metallicity measured in the interstellar medium of a z = 3.57 GRB host.
To answer questions on the start and duration of the epoch of reionisation, periods of galaxy mergers and properties of other cosmological encounters, the cosmic star formation history (CSFH), is of fundamental importance. Using the association of long gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) with the death of massive stars and their ultra-luminous nature, the CSFH can be probed to higher redshifts than current conventional methods. Unfortunately, no consensus has been reached on the manner in which the LGRB rate (LGRBR) traces the CSFH, leaving many of the questions mentioned mostly unexplored by this method. Observations by the GRB NIR detector (GROND) over the past 4 years have, for the first time, acquired highly complete LGRB samples. Driven by these completeness levels and new evidence of LGRBs also occurring in more massive and metal rich galaxies than previously thought, the possible biases of the LGRBR-CSFH connection are investigated over a large range of galaxy properties. The CSFH is modelled using empirical fits to the galaxy mass function and galaxy star formation rates. Biasing the CSFH by metallicity cuts, mass range boundaries, and other unknown redshift dependencies, a LGRBR is generated and compared to the highly complete GROND sample. It is found that there is no strong preference for a metallicity cut or fixed galaxy mass boundaries and that there are no unknown redshift effects, in contrast to previous work which suggest values of Z/Z_sun~0.1-0.3. From the best-fit models, we predict that ~1.2% of the LGRB burst sample exists above z=6. The linear relationship between the LGRBR and the CSFH suggested by our results implies that redshift biases present in previous LGRB samples significantly affect the inferred dependencies of LGRBs on their host galaxy properties. Such biases can lead to, e.g., an interpretation of metallicity limitations and evolving LGRB luminosity functions.
Due to their extreme luminosities, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can be detected in hostile regions of galaxies, nearby and at very high redshift, making them important cosmological probes. The investigation of galaxies hosting long-duration GRBs (whose progenitor is a massive star) demonstrated their connection to star formation. Still, the link to the total galaxy population is controversial, mainly because of the small-number statistics: ~ 1,100 are the GRBs detected so far, ~ 280 those with measured redshift, and ~ 70 the hosts studied in detail. These are typically low-redshift (z < 1.5), low luminosity, metal poor, and star-forming galaxes. On the other hand, at 1.5< z <4, massive, metal rich and dusty, interacting galaxies are not uncommon. The most distant population (z > 4) is poorly explored, but the deep limits reached point towards very small and star-forming objects, similar to the low-z population. This `back to the future behavior is a natural consequence of the connection of long GRBs to star formation in young regions of the universe.
We describe the properties of the host galaxy of the gamma-ray burst GRB060510B based on a spectrum of the burst afterglow obtained with the Gemini North 8m telescope. The galaxy lies at a redshift of z = 4.941 making it the fourth highest spectroscopically identified burst host. However, it is the second highest redshift galaxy for which the quality of the spectrum permits a detailed metallicity analysis. The neutral hydrogen column density has a logarithmic value of 21.0--21.2 cm^-2 and the weak metal lines of Ni, S and Fe show that the metallicity is in excess of a tenth of solar which is far above the metallicities in damped Lyman alpha absorbers at high redshift. The tightest constraint is from the Fe lines which place [Fe/H] in excess of -0.8. We argue that the results suggest that metallicity bias could be a serious problem with inferring star formation from the GRB population and consider how future higher quality measurements could be used to resolve this question.
Future missions for long gammma-ray burst (GRB) observations at high redshift such as HiZ-GUNDAM and THESEUS will provide clue to the star formation history in our universe. In this paper focusing on high redshift (z>8) GRBs, we calculate the detection rate of long GRBs by future observations, considering both Population (Pop) I&II stars and Pop III stars as GRB progenitors. For the Pop I&II star formation rate (SFR), we adopt an up-to-date model of high-redshift SFR based on the halo mass function and dark matter accretion rate obtained from cosmological simulations. We show that the Pop I&II GRB rate steeply decreases with redshift. This would rather enable us to detect the different type of GRBs, Pop III GRBs, at very high redshift. If 10% or more Pop III stars die as an ultra-long GRB, the future missions would detect such GRBs in one year in spite of their low fluence. More luminous GRBs are expected from massive compact Pop III stars produced via the binary merger. In our conventional case, the detection rate of such luminous GRBs is 3-20 /yr (z>8). Those future observations contribute to revealing of the Pop III star formation history.
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