GRB 060121: Implications of a Short-/Intermediate-Duration γ-Ray Burst at High Redshift

A. de Ugarte Postigo; A. J. Castro-Tirado; S. Guziy; J. Gorosabel; G. Jóhannesson; M. A. Aloy; S. McBreen; D. Q. Lamb; N. Benitez; M. Jelínek; S. B. Pandey; D. Coe; M. D. Pérez-Ramírez; F. J. Aceituno; M. Alises; J. A. Acosta-Pulido; G. Gómez; R. López; T. Q. Donaghy; Y. E. Nakagawa; T. Sakamoto; G. R. Ricker; F. R. Hearty; M. Bayliss; G. Gyuk; D. G. York

doi:10.1086/507868

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GRB 060121: Implications of a Short-/Intermediate-Duration γがんま-Ray Burst at High Redshift

A. de Ugarte Postigo¹, A. J. Castro-Tirado¹, S. Guziy^1,2, J. Gorosabel¹, G. Jóhannesson³, M. A. Aloy^4,5, S. McBreen⁶, D. Q. Lamb⁷, N. Benitez¹, M. Jelínek¹, S. B. Pandey¹, D. Coe¹, M. D. Pérez-Ramírez⁸, F. J. Aceituno¹, M. Alises⁹, J. A. Acosta-Pulido¹⁰, G. Gómez¹⁰, R. López¹¹, T. Q. Donaghy⁷, Y. E. Nakagawa¹², T. Sakamoto¹³, G. R. Ricker¹⁴, F. R. Hearty¹⁵, M. Bayliss⁷, G. Gyuk⁷, and D. G. York⁷

Published 2006 August 30 • © 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 648, Number 2 Citation A. de Ugarte Postigo et al 2006 ApJ 648 L83 DOI 10.1086/507868

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¹ Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC), Camino Bajo de Huétor 50, E-18008 Granada, Spain

² Nikolaev State University, Nikolska 24, 54030 Nikolaev, Ukraine

³ Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland

⁴ Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, D-85741 Garching bei München, Germany

⁵ Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad de Valencia, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain

⁶ Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, D-85748 Garching bei München, Germany

⁷ Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637

⁸ Departamento de Física (EPS), Universidad de Jaén, E-23071 Jaén, Spain

⁹ Calar Alto Observatory, Apartado de Correos 511, E-04080 Almería, Spain

¹⁰ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Vía Láctea s/n, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

¹¹ Departament d'Astronomia i Meteorologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain

¹² Department of Physics and Mathematics, Aoyama Gakuin University, Fuchinobe 5-10-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8558, Japan

¹³ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771

¹⁴ MIT Kavli Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 70 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

¹⁵ Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303

Dates

Received 2006 May 19
Accepted 2006 July 24
Published 2006 August 30

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Abstract

Since the discovery of the first short-population γがんま-ray burst (GRB) afterglows in 2005, the handful of observed events have been found to be embedded in nearby (z < 1), bright underlying galaxies. We present multiwavelength observations of GRB 060121, the first short burst observed to clearly outshine its host galaxy (by a factor >10²). A photometric redshift for this event places the progenitor at a most probable redshift of z = 4.6, with a less probable scenario of z = 1.7. In either case, GRB 060121 could be the farthermost short-population GRB detected to date and implies an isotropic-equivalent energy release in gamma rays comparable to that seen in long-population bursts. We discuss the implications of the released energy on the nature of the progenitor. These results suggest that GRB 060121 may belong to a family of energetic short-population events, lying at z > 1 and whose optical afterglows would outshine their host galaxies, unlike the first short GRBs observed in 2005. The possibility of GRB 060121 being an intermediate-duration burst is also discussed.

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