An optical spectrum of the afterglow of a γ-ray burst at a redshift of z = 6.295

N. Kawai (), G. Kosugi, K. Aoki, T. Yamada, T. Totani, K. Ohta, M. Iye, T. Hattori, W. Aoki, H. Furusawa, K. Hurley, K. S. Kawabata, N. Kobayashi, Y. Komiyama, Y. Mizumoto, K. Nomoto, J. Noumaru, R. Ogasawara, R. Sato, K. Sekiguchi, Y. Shirasaki, M. Suzuki, T. Takata, T. Tamagawa, H. Terada, J. Watanabe, Y. Yatsu and A. Yoshida
Additional contact information
N. Kawai: Tokyo Institute of Technology
G. Kosugi: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
K. Aoki: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
T. Yamada: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
T. Totani: Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku
K. Ohta: Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku
M. Iye: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
T. Hattori: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
W. Aoki: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
H. Furusawa: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
K. Hurley: University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory
K. S. Kawabata: Hiroshima University
N. Kobayashi: University of Tokyo
Y. Komiyama: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Y. Mizumoto: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
K. Nomoto: University of Tokyo
J. Noumaru: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
R. Ogasawara: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
R. Sato: Tokyo Institute of Technology
K. Sekiguchi: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Y. Shirasaki: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
M. Suzuki: RIKEN (Institute of Physical and Chemical Research)
T. Takata: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
T. Tamagawa: RIKEN (Institute of Physical and Chemical Research)
H. Terada: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
J. Watanabe: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Y. Yatsu: Tokyo Institute of Technology
A. Yoshida: Aoyama Gakuin University

Nature, 2006, vol. 440, issue 7081, 184-186

Abstract: Long ago and far away The γ-ray burst GRB 050904, detected by the Swift satellite on 4 September last year, is one of the most distant objects ever observed. Its redshift of z = 6.3 equates to an explosion taking place 12.8 billion years ago, when the Universe was a mere 890 million years old. Three groups this week present detailed observations of the γ-ray, X-ray, near-infrared and optical spectra of the afterglow of GRB 050904. The results begin to paint a picture of the conditions prevailing when the parent body exploded and suggest that the γ-ray bursts that we see in the future can be used by cosmologists to probe the early Universe for evidence of star and galaxy formation, nucleosynthesis and reionization.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04498

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