A novel approach to investigate chemical inhomogeneities in GRB host galaxies: The $Z_{\mathrm{abs}}-Z_{\mathrm{emiss}}$ relation

Abstract

Models of chemical enrichment and inhomogeneity in high-redshift galaxies are challenging to constrain observationally. In this work, we discuss a novel approach to probe chemical inhomogeneities within long Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) host galaxies, by comparing the absorption metallicity, Z_abs, from the GRB afterglow (which probes the environment along the line of sight) with the emission-line metallicity, Z_emiss, measured via slit spectroscopy. Using the IllustrisTNG simulation, the theoretical relationship between these metallicity metrics is explored for a range of GRB formation models, varying the GRB progenitor metallicity threshold. For galaxies with fixed Z_emiss, the median value of Z_abs depends strongly on the GRB progenitor threshold metallicity, with Z_abs significantly lower than Z_emiss for high metallicity hosts. Conversely, at fixed Z_abs, the median value of Z_emiss depends primarily on the metallicity distribution of galaxies in IllustrisTNG and their chemical inhomogeneities, offering a GRB-model-independent way to constrain these processes observationally. Currently, only one host galaxy has data for both absorption and emission metallicities (GRB121014A). We re-analyse the emission spectrum and compare the inferred metallicity Z_emiss to a recent Bayesian determination of Z_abs, finding $\log (Z_{\mathrm{emiss}}/Z_{\odot })=\log (Z_{\mathrm{abs}}/Z_{\odot })+0.35_{-0.25}^{+0.14}$, within ~2 standard deviations of predictions from the IllustrisTNG simulation. Future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to measure Z_emiss for 4 other GRB hosts with known Z_abs values, using ~2 hour observations. While small, the sample will provide preliminary constraints on the Z_abs-Z_emiss relation to test chemical enrichment schemes in cosmological simulations.

arXiv comment17 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (133)

• Planck 2015 results. XIII. Cosmological parameters
• The chemical composition of the Sun
• Galactic Stellar and Substellar Initial Mass Function
• Populating a cluster of galaxies - I. Results at z=0
• Simulating Galaxy Formation with the IllustrisTNG Model
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: matter and galaxy clustering
• [O III]/[N II] as an Abundance Indicator at High Redshift
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: the stellar mass content of groups and clusters of galaxies
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: the galaxy color bimodality
• A very energetic supernova associated with the gamma-ray burst of 29 March 2003
• Metallicity Calibrations and the Mass-Metallicity Relation for Star-Forming Galaxies
• Properties of galaxies reproduced by a hydrodynamic simulation
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: A tale of two elements -- chemical evolution of magnesium and europium
• Using Strong Lines to Estimate Abundances in Extragalactic HII Regions and Starburst Galaxies
• A fundamental relation between mass, SFR and metallicity in local and high redshift galaxies
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: radio haloes and magnetic fields
• The Mass-Metallicity Relation at z~2
• AMAZE. I. The evolution of the mass-metallicity relation at z>3
• Long gamma-ray bursts and core-collapse supernovae have different environments
• Damped Lyman alpha Systems
• De Re Metallica: The cosmic chemical evolution of galaxies
• Strong Nebular Line Ratios in the Spectra of z~2-3 Star-forming Galaxies: First Results from KBSS-MOSFIRE
• Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era
• The Large, Oxygen-Rich Halos of Star-Forming Galaxies Are A Major Reservoir of Galactic Metals
• The Mass-Metallicity Relation with the Direct Method on Stacked Spectra of SDSS Galaxies
• Understanding Galaxy Evolution through Emission Lines
• Single star progenitors of long gamma-ray bursts I: Model grids and redshift dependent GRB rate
• The Origin and Evolution of the Galaxy Mass-Metallicity Relation
• A fundamental plane for field star-forming galaxies
• The Mass-Metallicity and the Fundamental Metallicity Relation revisited on a fully Te-based abundance scale for galaxies
• Gas metallicity diagnostics in star-forming galaxies
• Cosmic Variance and Its Effect on the Luminosity Function Determination in Deep High z Surveys
• Measured Metallicities at the Sites of Nearby Broad-Lined Type Ic Supernovae and Implications for the SN-GRB Connection
• Clues to the Origin of the Mass-Metallicity Relation: Dependence on Star Formation Rate and Galaxy Size
• SDSS IV MaNGA - Metallicity and nitrogen abundance gradients in local galaxies
• New fully empirical calibrations of strong-line metallicity indicators in star forming galaxies
• Chemical abundances in high-redshift galaxies: A powerful new emission line diagnostic
• The Cosmic BPT Diagram: Confronting Theory with Observations
• Nebular Emission Line Ratios in z~2-3 Star-Forming Galaxies with KBSS-MOSFIRE: Exploring the Impact of Ionization, Excitation, and Nitrogen-to-Oxygen Ratio
• The MOSDEF Survey: Mass, Metallicity, and Star-formation Rate at z~2.3
• A complete sample of bright Swift Long Gamma-Ray Bursts: Sample presentation, Luminosity Function and evolution
• Metallicity Gradients and Gas Flows in Galaxy Pairs
• An Atlas of Galaxy Spectral Energy Distributions from the Ultraviolet to the Mid-Infrared
• Metallicity gradients in local field star-forming galaxies: Insights on inflows, outflows, and the coevolution of gas, stars and metals
• The Metallicity Evolution of Interacting Galaxies
• The nature of "dark" gamma-ray bursts
• The evolution of the mass-metallicity relation in IllustrisTNG
• Deriving model-based T${}_e$-consistent chemical abundances in ionised gaseous nebulae
• A Population of Massive, Luminous Galaxies Hosting Heavily Dust-Obscured Gamma-Ray Bursts: Implications for the Use of GRBs as Tracers of Cosmic Star Formation
• Afterglow Observations of Fermi-LAT Gamma-Ray Bursts and the Emerging Class of Hyper-Energetic Events
• Evidence for a supernova in reanalyzed optical and near-infrared images of GRB970228
• The Swift GRB Host Galaxy Legacy Survey - II. Rest-Frame NIR Luminosity Distribution and Evidence for a Near-Solar Metallicity Threshold
• The MOSDEF Survey: Direct-Method Metallicities and ISM Conditions at $z\sim 1.5-3.5$
• A new method for estimating the bolometric properties of Ibc SNe
• The FMOS-Cosmos Survey of Star-Forming Galaxies at z~1.6 II. The Mass-Metallicity Relation and the Dependence on Star Formation Rate and Dust Extinction
• The Origin and Evolution of Metallicity Gradients: Probing the Mode of Mass Assembly at z=2
• Dust Extinction in High-z Galaxies with GRB Afterglow Spectroscopy - The 2175Å Feature at z=2.45
• On the Ly-alpha emission from gamma-ray burst host galaxies: evidence for low metallicities
• CHAOS IV: Gas-Phase Abundance Trends From The First Four CHAOS Galaxies
• IZI: Inferring the Gas Phase Metallicity (Z) and Ionization Parameter (q) of Ionized Nebulae using Bayesian Statistics
• The Metal Aversion of LGRBs
• "Direct" Gas-Phase Metallicity in Local Analogs of High-Redshift Galaxies: Empirical Metallicity Calibrations for High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies
• Are LGRBs biased tracers of star formation? Clues from the host galaxies of the Swift/BAT6 complete sample of LGRBs. I: Stellar mass at z<1
• The evolution of metallicity and metallicity gradients from z=2.7-0.6 with KMOS3D
• The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxy Legacy Survey - I. Sample Selection and Redshift Distribution
• Metallicity Gradient of a Lensed Face-on Spiral Galaxy at Redshift 1.49
• Ionized gaseous nebulae chemical abundance determination using the direct method
• Measuring the Physical Conditions in High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies: Insights from KBSS-MOSFIRE
• Abundance scaling in stars, nebulae and galaxies
• Optical and near-infrared follow-up observations of four Fermi/LAT GRBs : Redshifts, afterglows, energetics and host galaxies
• Super-solar Metal Abundances in Two Galaxies at z ~ 3.57 revealed by the GRB 090323 Afterglow Spectrum
• NIR Spectroscopy of Star-Forming Galaxies at z~1.4 with Subaru/FMOS: The Mass-Metallicity Relation
• Discovery of a compact gas-rich DLA galaxy at z = 2.2: evidences for a starburst-driven outflow
• The Dust Extinction Curves of Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies
• The Mass-Metallicity-SFR Relation at z >~ 2 with 3D-HST
• GRB hosts through cosmic time - VLT/X-Shooter emission-line spectroscopy of 96 GRB-selected galaxies at 0.1 < z < 3.6
• GRB 100219A with X-shooter - abundances in a galaxy at z = 4.7
• Evolution of the dust-to-metals ratio in high-redshift galaxies probed by GRB-DLAs
• High-Redshift Starbursting Dwarf Galaxies Revealed by GRB Afterglows
• The KLEVER Survey: Spatially resolved metallicity maps and gradients in a sample of 1.2 < z < 2.5 lensed galaxies
• The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Spatially Resolved Metallicity and Ionization Mapping
• Gas-phase metallicity gradients of TNG50 star-forming galaxies
• Are LGRBs biased tracers of star formation? Clues from the host galaxies of the $Swift$/BAT6 complete sample of bright LGRBs III: Stellar masses, star formation rates and metallicities at $z>1$
• A Keck Survey of Gravitationally-Lensed Star-Forming Galaxies: High Spatial Resolution Studies of Kinematics and Metallicity Gradients
• New Radial Abundance Gradients for NGC 628 and NGC 2403
• Testing the Universality of the Fundamental Metallicity Relation at High Redshift Using Low-Mass Gravitationally Lensed Galaxies
• Why do high-redshift galaxies show diverse gas-phase metallicity gradients?
• The MOSDEF-LRIS Survey: The Interplay Between Massive Stars and Ionized Gas in High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies
• Temperature-based metallicity measurements at z=0.8: direct calibration of strong-line diagnostics at intermediate redshift
• Gamma-Ray Burst afterglows as probes of environment and blastwave physics I: absorption by host galaxy gas and dust
• The warm, the excited, and the molecular gas: GRB 121024A shining through its star-forming galaxy
• The metallicity and dust content of a redshift 5 gamma-ray burst host galaxy
• Dust-depletion sequences in damped Lyman-α absorbers: a unified picture from low-metallicity systems to the Galaxy
• The Metal Abundances across Cosmic Time ($\mathcal{M}\mathcal{A}\mathcal{C}\mathcal{T}$) Survey. II. Evolution of the Mass-Metallicity Relation over 8 Billion Years, using [OIII]$\lambda$4363Å-based Metallicities
• The Galaxy Counterparts of the two high-metallicity DLAs at z=2.412 and z=2.583 towards Q0918+1636
• Directly imaging damped Ly-alpha galaxies at z>2. III: The star formation rates of neutral gas reservoirs at z~2.7
• Discovery of Strongly Inverted Metallicity Gradients in Dwarf Galaxies at $z$$\sim$2
• First gas-phase metallicity gradients of $0.1\lesssim z\lesssim 0.8$ galaxies with MUSE
• Testing For Azimuthal Abundance Gradients In M101
• Measuring the mixing scale of the ISM within nearby spiral galaxies
• Unveiling the Secrets of Metallicity and Massive Star Formation Using DLAs along Gamma-ray Bursts
• Keck Spectroscopy and HST Imaging of GRB 000926: Probing a Host Galaxy at z = 2. 038
• The MOSDEF-LRIS Survey: The Connection Between Massive Stars and Ionized Gas in Individual Galaxies at $z\sim 2$
• VLT/X-shooter spectroscopy of the GRB 120327A afterglow
• Gamma-Ray Bursts Trace UV Metrics of Star Formation over 3 < z < 5
• The missing gas problem in GRB host galaxies: evidence for a highly ionised component
• Interrogating Seyferts with NebulaBayes: Spatially probing the narrow-line region radiation fields and chemical abundances
• L-GALAXIES 2020: The evolution of radial metallicity profiles and global metallicities in disc galaxies
• Evidence for diffuse molecular gas and dust in the hearts of gamma-ray burst host galaxies
• Evidence for azimuthal variations of the oxygen abundance gradient tracing the spiral structure of the galaxy HCG91c
• The luminosity and stellar mass functions of GRB host galaxies: Insight into the metallicity bias
• The Relative Rate of LGRB Formation as a Function of Metallicity
• Local Analogs for High-redshift Galaxies: Resembling the Physical Conditions of the Interstellar Medium in High-redshift Galaxies
• Azimuthal variations of gas-phase oxygen abundance in NGC 2997
• Binary population synthesis models for core-collapse gamma-ray burst progenitors
• A Census of Sub-kiloparsec Resolution Metallicity Gradients in Star-forming Galaxies at Cosmic Noon from HST Slitless Spectroscopy
• Metallicity gradients in small and nearby spiral galaxies
• The second closest gamma-ray burst: sub-luminous GRB 111005A with no supernova in a super-solar metallicity environment
• Spatially Resolved Emission of a High Redshift DLA Galaxy with the Keck/OSIRIS IFU
• Mass and metallicity scaling relations of high redshift star-forming galaxies selected by GRBs
• Emission Line Abundances of Absorption Selected Galaxies at z<0.5
• Dust reddening and extinction curves towards gamma-ray bursts at z > 4
• A method for quantifying the Gamma Ray Burst "bias". Application in the redshift range 0-1.1
• Quantifying the effects of spatial resolution and noise on galaxy metallicity gradients
• Testing strong line metallicity diagnostics at z~2
• The Evolution of Gas-Phase Metallicity and Resolved Abundances in Star-forming Galaxies at $z\approx 0.6-1.8$
• What Drives the Redshift Evolution of Strong Emission Line Ratios?
• Mapping electron temperature variations across a spiral arm in NGC 1672
• Gas Accretion and Galactic Chemical Evolution: Theory and Observations
• One star, two stars, or both? Investigating metallicity-dependant models for Gamma-Ray Burst progenitors with the IllustrisTNG simulation
• Non-parametric Morphologies of Mergers in the Illustris Simulation
• The metallicity and star formation activity of long gamma-ray burst hosts for z$<$3: insights from the Illustris simulation
• The luminous, massive and solar metallicity galaxy hosting the Swift gamma-ray burst, GRB 160804A at z = 0.737

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Are the host galaxies of Long Gamma-Ray Bursts more compact than star-forming galaxies of the field?
• LIMFAST. I. A Semi-Numerical Tool for Line Intensity Mapping
• The internal metallicity distributions of simulated galaxies from EAGLE, Illustris, and IllustrisTNG at z=1.8-4 as probed by Gamma Ray Burst hosts
• The metallicity dependence of long-duration gamma-ray bursts
• First joint absorption and T${}_e$-based metallicity measured in a GRB host galaxy at $z=4.28$ using JWST/NIRSpec
• Estimating Transient Rates from Cosmological Simulations and BPASS