2010ApJ...721.1919C -
Astrophys. J., 721, 1919-1927 (2010/October-1)
On the distribution of stellar masses in gamma-ray burst host galaxies.
CASTRO CERON J.M., MICHALOWSKI M.J., HJORTH J., MALESANI D., GOROSABEL J., WATSON D., FYNBO J.P.U. and CALDERON M.M.
Abstract (from CDS):
We analyze Spitzer images of 30 long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxies. We estimate their total stellar masses (M{sstarf}) based on the rest-frame K-band luminosities ({L{Krest}}) and constrain their star formation rates (SFRs; not corrected for dust extinction) based on the rest-frame UV continua. Further, we compute a mean {M*/L{K_rest}} = 0.45 M☉/L☉. We find that the hosts are low M{sstarf}, star-forming systems. The median M{sstarf} in our sample (〈M{sstarf}〉 = 109.7 M☉) is lower than that of "field" galaxies (e.g., Gemini Deep Deep Survey). The range spanned by M{sstarf} is 107 M☉< M{sstarf}< 1011 M☉, while the range spanned by the dust-uncorrected UV SFR is 10–2 M☉/yr < SFR < 10 M☉/yr. There is no evidence for intrinsic evolution in the distribution of M{sstarf}with redshift. We show that extinction by dust must be present in at least 25% of the GRB hosts in our sample and suggest that this is a way to reconcile our finding of a relatively lower UV-based, specific SFR (φ ≡ SFR/M {sstarf}) with previous claims that GRBs have some of the highest φ values. We also examine the effect that the inability to resolve the star-forming regions in the hosts has on φ.
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Journal keyword(s):
cosmology: observations - dust, extinction - galaxies: fundamental parameters - galaxies: ISM - gamma-ray burst: general - infrared: galaxies
Simbad objects:
31
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