The Cosmic Evolution of Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies

TL;DR

This paper reviews the properties and evolution of galaxies hosting long-duration gamma-ray bursts across different redshifts, highlighting their connection to star formation and the changing galaxy populations over cosmic time.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the observed characteristics and evolution of GRB host galaxies from low to high redshifts, emphasizing their role as probes of star formation history.

Findings

Low-redshift GRB hosts are typically low-luminosity, metal-poor, star-forming galaxies.

High-redshift (z > 1.5) hosts tend to be massive, dusty, and interacting galaxies.

Distant (z > 4) GRB hosts are small, star-forming objects similar to low-z counterparts.

Abstract

Due to their extreme luminosities, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can be detected in hostile regions of galaxies, nearby and at very high redshift, making them important cosmological probes. The investigation of galaxies hosting long-duration GRBs (whose progenitor is a massive star) demonstrated their connection to star formation. Still, the link to the total galaxy population is controversial, mainly because of the small-number statistics: ~ 1,100 are the GRBs detected so far, ~ 280 those with measured redshift, and ~ 70 the hosts studied in detail. These are typically low-redshift (z < 1.5), low luminosity, metal poor, and star-forming galaxes. On the other hand, at 1.5< z <4, massive, metal rich and dusty, interacting galaxies are not uncommon. The most distant population (z > 4) is poorly explored, but the deep limits reached point towards very small and star-forming objects, similar to the low-z population. This `back to the future' behavior is a natural consequence of the connection of long GRBs to star formation in young regions of the universe.