The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2023)
The First JWST Spectrum of a GRB Afterglow: No Bright Supernova in Observations of the Brightest GRB of all Time, GRB 221009A
- A. J. Levan,
- G. P. Lamb,
- B. Schneider,
- J. Hjorth,
- T. Zafar,
- A. de Ugarte Postigo,
- B. Sargent,
- S. E. Mullally,
- L. Izzo,
- P. D’Avanzo,
- E. Burns,
- J. F. Agüí Fernández,
- T. Barclay,
- M. G. Bernardini,
- K. Bhirombhakdi,
- M. Bremer,
- R. Brivio,
- S. Campana,
- A. A. Chrimes,
- V. D’Elia,
- M. Della Valle,
- M. De Pasquale,
- M. Ferro,
- W. Fong,
- A. S. Fruchter,
- J. P. U. Fynbo,
- N. Gaspari,
- B. P. Gompertz,
- D. H. Hartmann,
- C. L. Hedges,
- K. E. Heintz,
- K. Hotokezaka,
- P. Jakobsson,
- D. A. Kann,
- J. A. Kennea,
- T. Laskar,
- E. Le Floc’h,
- D. B. Malesani,
- A. Melandri,
- B. D. Metzger,
- S. R. Oates,
- E. Pian,
- S. Piranomonte,
- G. Pugliese,
- J. L. Racusin,
- J. C. Rastinejad,
- M. E. Ravasio,
- A. Rossi,
- A. Saccardi,
- R. Salvaterra,
- B. Sbarufatti,
- R. L. C. Starling,
- N. R. Tanvir,
- C. C. Thöne,
- A. J. van der Horst,
- S. D. Vergani,
- D. Watson,
- K. Wiersema,
- R. A. M. J. Wijers,
- Dong Xu
Affiliations
- A. J. Levan
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University , 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; [email protected]; Department of Physics, University of Warwick , Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
- G. P. Lamb
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University , 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
- B. Schneider
- ORCiD
- Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- J. Hjorth
- ORCiD
- DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- T. Zafar
- ORCiD
- Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University , 105 Delhi Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia
- A. de Ugarte Postigo
- ORCiD
- Artemis, Université Côte d’Azur , Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, F-06304 Nice, France
- B. Sargent
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Center for Astrophysical Sciences, The William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- S. E. Mullally
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- L. Izzo
- ORCiD
- DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- P. D’Avanzo
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807, Merate (LC), Italy
- E. Burns
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA
- J. F. Agüí Fernández
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía—CSIC , Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, E-18008 Granada, Spain
- T. Barclay
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; University of Maryland , Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
- M. G. Bernardini
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807, Merate (LC), Italy
- K. Bhirombhakdi
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- M. Bremer
- ORCiD
- Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) , 300 Rue de la Piscine, F-38406 Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- R. Brivio
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807, Merate (LC), Italy; Universitá degli Studi dell’Insubria , Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, via Valleggio 11, I-22100 Como, Italy
- S. Campana
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807, Merate (LC), Italy
- A. A. Chrimes
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University , 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; [email protected]
- V. D’Elia
- ORCiD
- ASI, Italian Space Agency , Space Science Data Centre, Via del Politecnico snc, I-00133 Rome, Italy; INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monte Porzio Catone (RM), Italy
- M. Della Valle
- ORCiD
- Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory , INAF-Napoli, Salita Moiariello 16, I-80131 Napoli, Italy
- M. De Pasquale
- ORCiD
- University of Messina , Mathematics, Informatics, Physics and Earth Science Department, Via F.D. D’Alcontres 31, Polo Papardo, I-98166, Messina, Italy
- M. Ferro
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807, Merate (LC), Italy; Universitá degli Studi dell’Insubria , Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, via Valleggio 11, I-22100 Como, Italy
- W. Fong
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- A. S. Fruchter
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- J. P. U. Fynbo
- ORCiD
- The Cosmic DAWN Center , Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University , Jagtvej 155, DK-2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark
- N. Gaspari
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University , 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; [email protected]
- B. P. Gompertz
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy & Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Birmingham , Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- D. H. Hartmann
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University , Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- C. L. Hedges
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; University of Maryland , Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
- K. E. Heintz
- ORCiD
- The Cosmic DAWN Center , Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University , Jagtvej 155, DK-2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark
- K. Hotokezaka
- ORCiD
- Research Center for the Early Universe, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo , Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- P. Jakobsson
- ORCiD
- Centre for Astrophysics and Cosmology, Science Institute, University of Iceland , Dunhagi 5, 107 Reykjavík, Iceland
- D. A. Kann
- ORCiD
- Hessian Research Cluster ELEMENTS, Giersch Science Center, Max-von-Laue-Straße 12, Goethe University Frankfurt , Campus Riedberg, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- J. A. Kennea
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- T. Laskar
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University , 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; [email protected]; Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- E. Le Floc’h
- ORCiD
- Université Paris-Saclay , Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- D. B. Malesani
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University , 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; [email protected]; The Cosmic DAWN Center , Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University , Jagtvej 155, DK-2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark
- A. Melandri
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monte Porzio Catone (RM), Italy
- B. D. Metzger
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , Pupin Hall, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Computational Astrophysics , Flatiron Institute, 162 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA
- S. R. Oates
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy & Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Birmingham , Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- E. Pian
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio , via Piero Gobetti 93/3, I-40024, Bologna, Italy
- S. Piranomonte
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monte Porzio Catone (RM), Italy
- G. Pugliese
- ORCiD
- Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam , 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- J. L. Racusin
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- J. C. Rastinejad
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- M. E. Ravasio
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University , 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; [email protected]; INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807, Merate (LC), Italy
- A. Rossi
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio , via Piero Gobetti 93/3, I-40024, Bologna, Italy
- A. Saccardi
- ORCiD
- GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS , 5 Place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon, France
- R. Salvaterra
- ORCiD
- INAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica , via Alfonso Corti 12, I-20133 Milano, Italy
- B. Sbarufatti
- ORCiD
- INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807, Merate (LC), Italy
- R. L. C. Starling
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- N. R. Tanvir
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- C. C. Thöne
- ORCiD
- Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Fričova 298, 251 65 Ondřejov, Czech Republic
- A. J. van der Horst
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, George Washington University , 725 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- S. D. Vergani
- ORCiD
- GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS , 5 Place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon, France
- D. Watson
- ORCiD
- The Cosmic DAWN Center , Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University , Jagtvej 155, DK-2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark
- K. Wiersema
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, Lancaster University , Lancaster, LA1 4YB, UK
- R. A. M. J. Wijers
- ORCiD
- Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam , 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Dong Xu
- ORCiD
- Key Laboratory of Space Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acc2c1
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 946,
no. 1
p. L28
Abstract
We present James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of the afterglow of GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever observed. This includes the first mid-IR spectra of any GRB, obtained with JWST/Near Infrared Spectrograph (0.6–5.5 micron) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (5–12 micron), 12 days after the burst. Assuming that the intrinsic spectral slope is a single power law, with F _ν ∝ ν ^− ^β , we obtain β ≈ 0.35, modified by substantial dust extinction with A _V = 4.9. This suggests extinction above the notional Galactic value, possibly due to patchy extinction within the Milky Way or dust in the GRB host galaxy. It further implies that the X-ray and optical/IR regimes are not on the same segment of the synchrotron spectrum of the afterglow. If the cooling break lies between the X-ray and optical/IR, then the temporal decay rates would only match a post-jet-break model, with electron index p < 2, and with the jet expanding into a uniform ISM medium. The shape of the JWST spectrum is near-identical in the optical/near-IR to X-SHOOTER spectroscopy obtained at 0.5 days and to later time observations with HST. The lack of spectral evolution suggests that any accompanying supernova (SN) is either substantially fainter or bluer than SN 1998bw, the proto-type GRB-SN. Our HST observations also reveal a disk-like host galaxy, viewed close to edge-on, that further complicates the isolation of any SN component. The host galaxy appears rather typical among long-GRB hosts and suggests that the extreme properties of GRB 221009A are not directly tied to its galaxy-scale environment.
Keywords
