Related papers: Infrared molecular hydrogen lines in GRB host gala…

(abridged) Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) occur in galaxies of generally low metallicity. We aim at a spectroscopic analysis of HG 031203, the host galaxy of a LRGB burst, to obtain its properties. Based on VLT/X-shooter…

GRB 010921 was the first HETE-2 GRB to be localized via its afterglow emission. The low-redshift of the host galaxy, z=0.451, prompted us to undertake intensive multi-color observations with the Hubble Space Telescope with the goal of…

We present the discovery of an absorption-line redshift of z = 2.609 for GRB 090426, establishing the first firm lower limit to a redshift for a gamma-ray burst with an observed duration of <2 s. With a rest-frame burst duration of T_90z =…

The redshift distribution of the short-duration GRBs is a crucial, but currently fragmentary, clue to the nature of their progenitors. Here we present optical observations of nine short GRBs obtained with Gemini, Magellan, and the Hubble…

We investigate the possibility to search for metal-poor high column density (> 10^{23} cm^{-2}) clouds at high redshift (z) by using gamma ray burst (GRB) afterglows. Such clouds could be related to primeval galaxies which may cause a burst…

We present optical echelle spectra of four gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows (GRB 050730, GRB 050820, GRB 051111, and GRB 060418) discovered during the first 1.5 years of operation of the Swift satellite and localized by either the Swift…

We present the first reported case of the simultaneous metallicity determination of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxy, from both afterglow absorption lines as well as strong emission-line diagnostics. Using spectroscopic and imaging…

We report the detections of molecular hydrogen (H$_2$), vibrationally-excited H$_2$ (H$^*_2$), and neutral atomic carbon (CI), in two new afterglow spectra of GRBs\,181020A ($z=2.938$) and 190114A ($z=3.376$), observed with X-shooter at the…

A recent spectrum of the optical afterglow of GRB 970508 suggests that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are cosmological in origin and it is of crucial importance to derive an accurate distance to each burst. If GRBs occur near their host galaxies…

We report on follow-up observations of the GRB 060927 using the ROTSE-IIIa telescope and a suite of larger aperture ground-based telescopes. An optical afterglow was detected 20 s after the burst, the earliest rest-frame detection of…

Gamma-ray burst (GRB) 111215A was bright at X-ray and radio frequencies, but not detected in the optical or near-infrared (nIR) down to deep limits. We have observed the GRB afterglow with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and…

We summarize results from a study of the metallicity, relative abundances, gas density, and kinematics of dense media in the host environment of two Swift bursts, GRB050730 at z=3.968 and GRB051111 at z=1.549. Both GRB hosts exhibit strong…

The study of the properties of galaxies in the first billion years after the Big Bang is one of the major topic of current astrophysics. Optical/near-infrared spectroscopy of the afterglows of long Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) provide a powerful…

The amount and properties of high-redshift galactic and intergalactic (IG) dust are largely unknown, but could be investigated using multi-wavelength photometry of high-z objects that have a known intrinsic spectrum. Observations of…

We present the first high resolution (R=20000--45000, corresponding to 14 km/s at 4200A to 6.6 km/s at 9000A) observations of the optical afterglow of Gamma Ray Bursts. GRB020813 and GRB021004 were observed by UVES@VLT 22.19 hours and 13.52…

Rapid localisation and follow-up of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) increasingly rely on low-latency triggers from new missions coupled to wide-field robotic optical facilities. We present the discovery and multi-wavelength follow-up of GRB…

In this paper we illustrate with the case of GRB 000926 how Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) can be used as cosmological lighthouses to identify and study star forming galaxies at high redshifts. The optical afterglow of the burst was located with…

There is evidence of an overdensity of strong intervening MgII absorption line systems distributed along the lines of sight towards GRB afterglows relative to quasar sight-lines. If this excess is real, one should also expect an overdensity…

Aims. With an observed and rest-frame duration of < 2s and < 0.5s, respectively, GRB090426 could be classified as a short GRB. The prompt detection, both from space and ground-based telescopes, of a bright optical counterpart to this GRB…

Short Gamma-Ray Bursts (SGRBs) are produced by the coalescence of compact binary systems which are remnants of massive stars. GRB 160410A is classified as a short-duration GRB with extended emission and is currently the farthest SGRB with a…