Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-09-26
Astron.Astrophys.443:L1-L5,2005
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
3 figures, 5 pages, accepted for publication in A&A Letters. One figure added, minor modifications. Full author list in the pa
Scientific paper
10.1051/0004-6361:200500196
We present optical and near-infrared observations of the afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 050904. We derive a photometric redshift z = 6.3, estimated from the presence of the Lyman break falling between the I and J filters. This is by far the most distant GRB known to date. Its isotropic-equivalent energy is 3.4x10^53 erg in the rest-frame 110-1100 keV energy band. Despite the high redshift, both the prompt and the afterglow emission are not peculiar with respect to other GRBs. We find a break in the J-band light curve at t_b = 2.6 +- 1.0 d (observer frame). If we assume this is the jet break, we derive a beaming-corrected energy E_gamma = (4-12)x10^51 erg. This limit shows that GRB 050904 is consistent with the Amati and Ghirlanda relations. This detection is consistent with the expected number of GRBs at z > 6 and shows that GRBs are a powerful tool to study the star formation history up to very high redshift.
Antonelli Lucio Angelo
Campana Sergio
Chincarini Guido
Covino Stefano
D'Avanzo Paolo
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