Molecular hydrogen in the damped Lyman <i>α</i>system towards GRB 120815A at<i>z</i>= 2.36
Molecular hydrogen in the damped Lyman <i>α</i>system towards GRB 120815A at<i>z</i>= 2.36
We present the discovery of molecular hydrogen (H_2), including the presence of vibrationally-excited H_2^* in the optical spectrum of the afterglow of GRB 120815A at z=2.36 obtained with X-shooter at the VLT. Simultaneous photometric broad-band data from GROND and X-ray observations by Swift/XRT place further constraints on the amount and …