Open AccessSCUBA observations of the host galaxies of four dark gamma‐ray bursts
Author(s) -
Barnard V. E.,
Blain A. W.,
Tanvir N. R.,
Natarajan P,
Smith I. A.,
Wijers R. A. M. J.,
Kouveliotou C,
Rol E,
Tilanus R. P. J.,
Vreeswijk P.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.05860.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , galaxy , james clerk maxwell telescope , astronomy , gamma ray burst , dark galaxy , population , extinction (optical mineralogy) , afterglow , photometry (optics) , star formation , luminous infrared galaxy , galaxy group , stars , demography , optics , sociology
We present the results of a search for submillimetre‐luminous host galaxies of optically dark gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs) using the Submillimetre Common‐User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). We made photometry measurements of the 850‐μm flux at the location of four ‘dark bursts’, which are those with no detected optical afterglow despite rapid deep searches, and which may therefore be within galaxies containing substantial amounts of dust. We were unable to detect any individual source significantly. Our results are consistent with predictions for the host galaxy population as a whole, rather than for a subset of dusty hosts. This indicates that optically dark GRBs are not especially associated with very submillimetre‐luminous galaxies and so cannot be used as reliable indicators of dust‐enshrouded massive star formation activity. Further observations are required to establish the relationship between the wider GRB host galaxy population and SCUBA galaxies.