GCN Circular 18982
Subject
The bright GRB160203A: X-shooter spectroscopy and redshift
Date
2016-02-03T04:22:29Z (8 years ago)
From
Giovanna Pugliese at API/UvA <pugliese@astroduo.org>
G. Pugliese (API/UvA), S. Covino (INAF/OAB), T. Kruehler (MPE Garching), D. Xu (NAOC/CAS),
N. R. Tanvir (Leicester), report on behalf of a larger collaboration:
We observed the afterglow of GRB 160203A (D'Avanzo et al., GCN 18979;
Kruehler et al., GCN 18980; Xu, GCN 18981) with ESO's Very Large
Telescope UT2 equipped with X-shooter. Our observations were performed
in Rapid Response Mode and started at 02:31:35 UT on 03-02-2016, just about
18 min after the Swift trigger. The X-shooter spectra cover the range between
3000 and 23000 AA, and were obtained at a seeing of around 0.8".
A preliminary analysis of the spectrum shows a clear continuum with
absorption features due to Lyman-alpha and various metal lines (SII 1254, SiII 1259/60, OI 1302,
SiII 1304, CII 1334, Si IV 1393/1402, SiII 1526, CIV 1548/1550, FeII 1608, AlII 1670) at a common
redshift of 3.52, which we propose as the redshift of the GRB.
We also detect an intervening system at z=2.203.
We acknowledge the fast and efficient support provided by Paranal staff. In particular we thank Dimitri
Gadotti, Boris Haeussler, and Marcela Espinoza for their excellent job.