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[132.08] Multiple GRB Host Absorbers and the Spectrum of GRB030226

D. B. Fox (Caltech Astronomy), P. A. Price (University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy)

We present two epochs of high-resolution spectroscopy of the afterglow of GRB030226 with the Echellette Spectrograph and Imager (ESI) on Keck. Our first-epoch spectrum, beginning four hours after the burst, reveals two strong high-redshift absorption systems, at z=1.961 and z=1.984, each of which exhibits substructure on velocity scales of \Delta v < 300 km s^-1. Detailed comparison of this spectrum to our second-epoch spectrum, taken the following night, shows no discernible change in the velocities or equivalent widths of these lines. The properties of the two host absorption systems for GRB030226 are reminiscent of similar systems that are apparent in the afterglows of GRB021004 and other bursts. Our two epochs of spectroscopy, however, provide new constraints on the physical properties of these systems. We discuss these constraints and the light that they shed on the physical characteristics of the GRB host galaxies.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.