The optically unbiased GRB host (TOUGH) survey. VII. The host galaxy luminosity function: Probing the relationship between GRBs and star formation to redshift ∼6

Journal Article · Mon Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/73· OSTI ID:22882876

Schulze, S. ^[1]; Chapman, R.; Jakobsson, P.; Björnsson, G. ^[2]; Hjorth, J.; Postigo, A. de Ugarte; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Milvang-Jensen, B.; Watson, D. J. ^[3]; Levan, A. J. ^[4]; Perley, D. A. ^[5]; Krühler, T. ^[6]; Gorosabel, J. ^[7]; Tanvir, N. R. ^[8]

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1. Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Macul, Santiago (Chile)
2. Centre for Astrophysics and Cosmology, Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhagi 5, 107 Reykjavík (Iceland)
3. Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø (Denmark)
4. Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL (United Kingdom)
5. Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, 1200 East California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91125 (United States)
6. European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura Casilla 19001, Santiago (Chile)
7. Instituto de Astrofsica de Andalucía, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IAA-CSIC), Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, E-18008 Granada (Spain)
8. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom)

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer a route to characterizing star-forming galaxies and quantifying high-z star formation that is distinct from the approach of traditional galaxy surveys: GRB selection is independent of dust and probes even the faintest galaxies which can evade detection in flux-limited surveys. However, the exact relation between the GRB rate and the star formation rate (SFR) throughout all redshifts is controversial. The Optically Unbiased GRB Host (TOUGH) survey includes observations of all GRB hosts (69) in an optically unbiased sample of Swift GRBs; we utilize these to constrain the evolution of the UV GRB-host-galaxy luminosity function (LF) between z = 0 and z = 4.5, and compare this with LFs derived from both Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) surveys and simulation modeling. At all redshifts we find the GRB hosts to be most consistent with an LF derived from SFR weighted models incorporating GRB production via both metallicity-dependent and independent channels with a relatively high level of bias toward low metallicity hosts. In the range 1<3 an SFR weighted LBG derived (i.e., non-metallicity biased) LF is also a reasonable fit to the data. Between z ∼ 3 and z ∼ 6, we observe an apparent lack of UV bright hosts in comparison with LBGs, though the significance of this shortfall is limited by nine hosts of unknown redshift.

• OSTI ID: 22882876
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 808, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Since 2009, the country of publication for this journal is the UK.; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS
DETECTION
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
LUMINOSITY
MASS
METALLICITY
RED SHIFT
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS