Other
Scientific paper
Jun 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009sptz.prop..538c&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #538
Other
Scientific paper
The reionization of the Universe between redshifts 6 and 30 is the most important astrophysical event since the Big Bang. By virtue of being extremely luminous end states in the evolution of massive stars, gamma-ray bursts are a fundamentally important tracer of star-formation out to the highest redshifts. The measurement of the spectroscopic redshift of GRB090423 at z=8.1, makes it arguably, the most reliable, highest redshift, astrophysical source detected thus far, and provides our first ever opportunity to characterize the properties of star-forming galaxies as the Universe was making a transition from a neutral state to a fully ionized state. We propose deep Spitzer/IRAC 3.6 micron observations of this exciting source over two epochs to: 1) Characterize the light curve of a z=8.1 GRB afterglow 2) Measure the properties of the underlying host galaxy and constrain the star-formation rate density at z~8 3) Develop a light curve template which will enable the search for similar, non-GRB, high-z transients in Spitzer Warm Mission surveys. 4) Provide a deep field in which deep, future narrow band observations can be undertaken to search for other galaxies at z=8.1 which might be clustered around the GRB host.
Berger Edo
Chary Ranga Ram
Cooray Asantha
Daddi Emanuele
Dickinson Mark
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