Probing the warm Inter-Galactic Medium through absorption against Gamma Ray Bursts X-ray afterglows
Publication date: 01 November 2000
Authors: Fiore, F. et al.
Journal: ApJ Letters
Volume: 544
Issue: 1
Page: pp.L7-L10
Year: 2000
Copyright: The American Astronomical Society
Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows close to their peak intensity are among the brightest X-ray sources in the sky. Despite their fast power-law like decay, when fluxes are integrated from minutes up to hours after the GRB event, the corresponding number counts (logN-logF relation) far exceeds that of any other high redshift (z>0.5) source, the flux of which is integrated over the same time interval. We discuss how to use X-ray afterglows of GRBs as distant beacons to probe the warm (105 K