Modelling line ratios and continuum SED of NGC4993 and other short GRB host galaxies

TL;DR

This paper models the spectral properties of NGC4993 and other short GRB host galaxies to understand their physical conditions, element abundances, and the nature of their ionizing sources, revealing AGN characteristics in NGC4993 and diverse stellar populations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed spectral modeling approach combining photoionization and shock processes to analyze SGRB host galaxies, highlighting the presence of AGN features in NGC4993 and variability in stellar populations.

Findings

NGC4993 hosts a LINER or LLAGN with solar O/H and N/H abundances.

Most SGRB hosts have nearly solar O/H ratios, with N/H varying widely.

The stellar contribution in NGC4993's SED is dominated by an old population with Tbb=4000K.

Abstract

We present a detailed spectral modelling of NGC4993 -- the host galaxy of GW170817 -- and other SGRB host galaxies. In order to determine their physical conditions and the element abundances, we have gathered spectroscopic and photometric data from the literature. The observation data are sometimes missing preventing us from fully constraining the model. However, for most of the SGRB hosts the [OIII]5007/Hb and [NII]6548/Ha line ratios are reported. The analysis of NGC4993 by a composite model (photoionization+shock) confirms that an AGN, most probably a LINER or a LLAGN, is the gas photoionization source. Shock velocities and preshock densities are similar to those found in the narrow line region of AGN. O/H and N/H have solar values. For the other SGRB of the sample we have found that O/H ratios are nearly solar, while N/H cover a much larger range of values at redshifts close to 0.4. In NGC4993, the relative contribution to the SED of an old stellar population, characterized by a black body temperature of Tbb=4000K, with respect to Bremsstrahlung is higher by a factor >100 than in most of the local AGN and SB galaxies. For the other SGRB composing the sample, Tbb ranges between 2000K for SGRB100206A and 8000K for SGRB111117A.