GRB 090313: X-shooter's first shot at a GRB
A. de Ugarte Postigo, P. Goldoni, C.C. Th\"one, S.D. Vergani, V., D'Elia, S. Piranomonte, D. Malesani, S. Covino, H. Flores, J.P.U. Fynbo, J., Hjorth, R.A.M.J. Wijers, S. D'Odorico, F. Hammer, L. Kaper, P. Kj{\ae}rgaard,, S. Randich, M.I. Andersen, L.A. Antonelli, L. Christensen

TL;DR
X-shooter, a new VLT spectrograph, successfully observed a high-redshift GRB afterglow, capturing broad spectral features and intervening systems, demonstrating its potential for rapid, detailed GRB studies and early universe exploration.
Contribution
First demonstration of X-shooter's capabilities in GRB afterglow spectroscopy, covering a broad wavelength range simultaneously and revealing new high-redshift absorption features.
Findings
Detected multiple absorption features at redshift 3.3736
Observed intervening systems at redshifts 1.8005 and 1.9597
Proved X-shooter's ability to observe faint GRB afterglows quickly
Abstract
Context. X-shooter is the first second-generation instrument to become operative at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is a broad-band medium-resolution spectrograph designed with gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow spectroscopy as one of its main science drivers. Aims. During the first commissioning night on sky with the instrument fully assembled, X-shooter observed the afterglow of GRB 090313 as a demonstration of the instrument's capabilities. Methods. GRB 090313 was observed almost two days after the burst onset, when the object had already faded to R~21.6. Furthermore, the 90% illuminated Moon was just 30 degrees away from the field. In spite of the adverse conditions, we obtained a spectrum that, for the first time in GRB research, covers simultaneously the range from 5700 to 23000 Angstroms. Results. The spectrum shows multiple absorption features at a redshift of 3.3736,…
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
