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Gas inflow and outflow in an interacting high-redshift galaxy The remarkable host environment of GRB 080810 at z=3.35

Wiseman, P, Perley, DA, Schady, P, Prochaska, JX, de Ugarte Postigo, A, Kruehler, T, Yates, RM and Greiner, J (2017) Gas inflow and outflow in an interacting high-redshift galaxy The remarkable host environment of GRB 080810 at z=3.35. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 607. ISSN 1432-0746

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Abstract

We reveal multiple components of an interacting galaxy system at z ≈ 3.35 through a detailed analysis of the exquisite high-resolution Keck/HIRES spectrum of the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRB). Through Voigt-profile fitting of absorption lines from the Lyman series, we constrain the neutral hydrogen column density to NH i ≤ 1018.35 cm-2 for the densest of four distinct systems at the host redshift of GRB 080810, which is among the lowest NH i ever observed in a GRB host, even though the line of sight passes within a projected 5 kpc of the galaxy centres. By detailed analysis of the corresponding metal absorption lines, we derive chemical, ionic, and kinematic properties of the individual absorbing systems, and thus build a picture of the host as a whole. Striking differences between the systems imply that the line of sight passes through several phases of gas: the star-forming regions of the GRB host; enriched material in the form of a galactic outflow; the hot and ionised halo of a second interacting galaxy falling towards the host at a line-of-sight velocity of 700 km s-1; and a cool metal-poor cloud that may represent one of the best candidates yet for the inflow of metal-poor gas from the intergalactic medium.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 0201 Astronomical And Space Sciences
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions: Astrophysics Research Institute
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Related URLs:
Date Deposited: 21 Feb 2018 12:17
Last Modified: 04 Sep 2021 03:06
DOI or ID number: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731065
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/8096
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