Savaglio, S.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Tanvir, N. R.[Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK]
McBreen, S.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Totani, T.[Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan]
Zhang, B. B.[Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4002, USA]
Wu, X. F.[Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China]
Watson, D.[Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 København Ø, Denmark]
Kann, D. A.[Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Sternwarte 5, D-07778 Tautenburg, Germany]
Kawai, N.[Department of Physics, Tokyo Inst. of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan]
Yoldaş, A Küpcü[ESO, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85740 Garching bei München, Germany]
Mészáros, P.[Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA]
Milvang-Jensen, B.[Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 København Ø, Denmark]
Oates, S. R.[Mullard Space Science Lab, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK]
Pierini, D.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Schady, P.[Mullard Space Science Lab, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK]
Toma, K.[Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Division of Theoretical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan]
Vreeswijk, P. M.[Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 København Ø, Denmark]
Yoldaş, A.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Zhang, B.[Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4002, USA]
Afonso, P.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Aoki, K.[Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 650 North A'ohōkū Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA]
Burrows, D. N.[Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA]
Clemens, C.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Filgas, R.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Haiman, Z.[Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 1328 Pupin Physics Laboratories, New York, NY 10027, USA]
Hartmann, D. H.[Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA]
Hasinger, G.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany]
Hjorth, J.[Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 København Ø, Denmark]
Jehin, Emmanuel[Université de Liège - ULg > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Astrophysique et traitement de l'image]
Levan, A. J.[Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK]
Liang, E. W.[Department of Physics, Guangxi University, Guangxi 53004, China]
Malesani, D.[Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 København Ø, Denmark]
Pyo, T*-S[Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 650 North A'ohōkū Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA]
Szokoly, G.[Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany; Eötvös Univ., 1117 Budapest, Pazmany P. stny. 1/A, Hungary]
Terada, K.[Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK]
[en] We report on the detection by Swift of GRB 080913, and subsequent optical/near-infrared follow-up observations by GROND, which led to the discovery of its optical/NIR afterglow and the recognition of its high-z nature via the detection of a spectral break between the i' and z' bands. Spectroscopy obtained at the ESO-VLT revealed a continuum extending down to λ = 9400 Å, and zero flux for 7500 Å<λ < 9400 Å, which we interpret as the onset of a Gunn-Peterson trough at z = 6.695± 0.025 (95.5% confidence level), making GRB 080913 the highest-redshift gamma-ray burst (GRB) to date, and more distant than the highest-redshift QSO. We note that many redshift indicators that are based on promptly available burst or afterglow properties have failed for GRB 080913. We report on our follow-up campaign and compare the properties of GRB 080913 with bursts at lower redshift. In particular, since the afterglow of this burst is fainter than typical for GRBs, we show that 2 m class telescopes can identify most high-redshift GRBs.
[Université de Liège - ULg > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Astrophysique et traitement de l'image]
