GRB environment properties through X and optical afterglow observations

Abstract

We present the spectral analysis of 14 gamma-ray bursts (GRB) X-ray afterglows in order to investigate the properties of interstellar matter (ISM) along the line of sight of GRB. We carried out a simultaneous analysis of the NIR-optical and X-band for those afterglows with an optical counterpart too, in order to evaluate and strongly constrain the absorption effect on the spectral energy distribution due to dust extinction from GRB environment. We evaluated the equivalent hydrogen column density Nh from X-ray spectroscopy and rest frame visual extinction Av by assuming different type of ISM composition and dust grain size distribution. From our analysis we obtained a distribution of the GRB rest frame consistent with the one expected if GRB were embedded in a Galactic-like molecular cloud. Moreover, values of the visual extinction estimated from the simultaneous analysis of NIR-to-X band favour an environment where small dust grain are destroyed by the interaction with the X-ray and UV photons from GRB.