GCN Circular 40219
Subject
EP250416a / GRB 250416C: Gemini GMOS-S likely host galaxy redshift z = 0.963
Event
Date
2025-04-23T18:19:28Z (8 months ago)
From
Jonathan Quirola at Radboud University <jaquirola1990@gmail.com>
Via
Web form
Andrew J. Levan (Radboud), Jonathan Quirola-Vásquez (Radboud), Peter G. Jonker (Radboud), Franz E. Bauer (UTA), Antonio Martin-Carrillo (UCD), Daniele B. Malesani (DAWN/ NBI and Radboud), Javi Sánchez-Sierras (Radboud), Maria E. Ravasio (Radboud), Agnes van Hoof (Radboud), Jennifer Chacon (PUC), Joyce van Dalen (Radboud), Gregory Corcoran (UCD) report on behalf of a larger collaboration:
We observed the optical and X-ray counterpart (Levan et al., GCN 40160; Sbarrato et al., GCN 40166) of the Einstein Probe (EP) transient EP250416a (Zhao et al., GCN 40154, 40165), also identified as GRB 250416C (Svinkin et al., GCN 40167; Wang et al., GCN 40184). Observations were carried out using the Gemini South telescope located on Cerro Pachon, Chile, equipped with the GMOS-S instrument in spectroscopy mode.
Observations started on 2025-04-17 at 07:44:43 (i.e., ~0.58 days after the EP detection), and consisted of 4 exposures of 900 s each using the B480 grating, covering the wavelength range between ~4000 and 9500 AA.
In our spectrum, we clearly detect an emission line at 7317 AA. Considering the most likely options for this feature (Halpha, Hbeta, [O III], [O II]), the interpretation more consistent with the data is the (unresolved) [O II] 3727/3729 doublet at z = 0.963. In all other cases, we would expect to see other features which would fall over well-covered regions of the spectrum, which are not observed. We thus suggest that this is the redshift of the host galaxy of EP250416a.
The spectrum shows tentative absorption features at the expected locations of Mg II (2796, 2803 AA) and Mg I (2852 AA) at z = 0.962, although the signal to noise in the blue region of the spectrum is badly affected by the bright Moon, hence we cannot conclusively determine an absorption redshift.
We acknowledge excellent support from the Gemini South staff.