The internal metallicity distributions of simulated galaxies from EAGLE, Illustris, and IllustrisTNG at z = 1.8–4 as probed by gamma-ray burst hosts

Abstract

ABSTRACT Massive stars are thought to be progenitors of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), most likely with a bias favouring low-metallicity progenitors. Because galaxies do not have a constant metallicity throughout, the combination of line-of-sight absorption metallicity inferred from GRB afterglow spectroscopy and of host galaxy global metallicity derived from emission lines diagnostics represents a powerful way to probe both the bias function for GRB progenitors and the chemical inhomogeneities across star-forming regions. In this study, we predict the relationship between Zabs and Zemiss using three different hydrodynamical cosmological simulations: Illustris, EAGLE, and IllustrisTNG. We find that while the qualitative shape of the curve relating emission versus absorption metallicity remains the same, the predicted relationship between these two observables is significantly different between the simulations. Using data for the host galaxy of GRB121024A for which both Zabs and Zemiss have been measured, we find marginal support for the Illustris simulation as producing the most-realistic internal metallicity distributions within star-forming galaxies at cosmic noon. Overall, all simulations predict similar properties for the bulk of the GRB host galaxy population, but each has distinct features in the tail of the Zabs-Zemiss distribution that in principle allow to discriminate between models if a sufficiently large sample of observations are available (i.e. N ≳ 11 on average). Substantial progress is expected in the near future, with upcoming JWST/NIRspec observations of 10 GRB host galaxies for which absorption metallicity from the afterglow spectra exists.