Figure 4.
Left: Portion of a
Gemini spectrum of
PS1-11bam containing
several interstellar
absorption features
of Fe II and Mg II at
z = 1.566 (black).
The error spectrum
is shown in blue,
and for comparison,
the composite GRB
spectrum in red.
Right: A zoom-in
on the relevant
Fe II and Mg II lines
demonstrates the
similarity to GRB
absorption spectra.
The host galaxy also
appears in the emission
of [O II] 3727.
28
equivalent widths of Mg II and Fe II in this
case are intermediate between typical observations of quasars (which tend to probe
galaxy outskirts) and GRBs (which tend to
probe the central regions of galaxies), and
they are much lower than those of star-forming galaxies at the same redshift.
This first direct demonstration that ultraluminous supernovae can reveal distant galaxies suggests that the next generation of
imaging surveys and spectroscopy from extremely large telescopes could be applied to
galaxies in the earliest days of the universe.
Nancy A. Levenson is Deputy Director and Head
of Science at Gemini Observatory and can be
reached at: [email protected]
GeminiFocus
December2012