GRB Redshift determination in the X-ray band

Abstract

If gamma-ray bursts originate in dense stellar forming regions, the interstellar material can imprint detectable absorption features on the observed X-ray spectrum. Such features can be detected by existing and planned X-ray satellites, as long as the X-ray afterglow is observed after a few minutes from the burst. Detection of these X-ray features will make possible the determination of the redshift of gamma-ray bursts even when their optical afterglows are severely dimmed by extinction.

2 pages, A&AS in press, proceedings of the Workshop "Gamma Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era" held in Rome, November 1998

Cited by in corpus (1)

• The X-ray afterglow of the Gamma-ray burst of May 8, 1997: spectral variability and possible evidence of an iron line