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We report on the surprisingly high metallicity measured in two absorption systems at high redshift, detected in the Very Large Telescope spectrum of the afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 090323. The two systems, at redshift z=3.5673 and z=3.5774 (separation Delta v ~ 660 km/s), are dominated by the neutral gas in the interstellar medium of the parent galaxies. From the singly ionized zinc and sulfur, we estimate oversolar metallicities of [Zn/H] =+0.29+/-0.10 and [S/H] = +0.67+/- 0.34, in the blue and red absorber, respectively. These are the highest metallicities ever measured in galaxies at z>3. We propose that the two systems trace two galaxies in the process of merging, whose star formation and metallicity are heightened by the interaction. This enhanced star formation might also have triggered the birth of the GRB progenitor. As typically seen in star-forming galaxies, the fine-structure absorption SiII* is detected, both in G0 and G1. From the rest-frame UV emission in the GRB location, we derive a relatively high, not corrected for dust extinction, star-formation rate SFR ~ 6 Msun/yr. These properties suggest a possible connection between some high-redshift GRB host galaxies and high-z massive sub-millimeter galaxies, which are characterized by disturbed morphologies and high metallicities. Our result provides additional evidence that the dispersion in the chemical enrichment of the Universe at high redshift is substantial, with the existence of very metal rich galaxies less than two billion years after the Big Bang.

Aims: The AGILE gamma-ray burst GRB 080514B is the first burst with detected emission above 30 MeV and an optical afterglow. However, no spectroscopic redshift for this burst is known. Methods: We compiled ground-based photometric optical/NIR and millimeter data from several observatories, including the multi-channel imager GROND, as well as ultraviolet \swift UVOT and X-ray XRT observations. The spectral energy distribution of the optical/NIR afterglow shows a sharp drop in the \swift UVOT UV filters that can be utilized for the estimation of a redshift. Results: Fitting the SED from the \swift UVOT $uvw2$ band to the $H$ band, we estimate a photometric redshift of $z=1.8^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$, consistent with the pseudo redshift reported by Pelangeon & Atteia (2008) based on the gamma-ray data. Conclusions: The afterglow properties of GRB 080514B do not differ from those exhibited by the global sample of long bursts, supporting the view that afterglow properties are basically independent of prompt emission properties., submitted to A&A letters

We describe the initial results of a programme to detect and identify extended X-ray sources found serendipitously in XMM-Newton observations. We have analysed 186 EPIC-PN images at high galactic latitude with a limiting flux of $1\times 10^{-14}$ \ergcms and found 62 cluster candidates. Thanks to the enhanced sensitivity of the XMM-Newton telescopes, the new clusters found in this pilot study are on the average fainter, more compact, and more distant than those found in previous X-ray surveys. At our survey limit the surface density of clusters is about 5 deg$^{-2}$. We also present the first results of an optical follow-up programme aiming at the redshift measurement of a large sample of clusters. The results of this pilot study give a first glimpse on the potential of serendipitous cluster science with XMM-Newton based on real data. The largest, yet to be fulfilled promise is the identification of a large number of high-redshift clusters for cosmological studies up to $z=1$ or 1.5., Proc World Space Conf. Houston, October 2002, Adv. Space Res., in press

We present the results of a program to acquire high-quality optical spectra of X-ray sources detected in the E-CDF-S and its central area. New spectroscopic redshifts are measured for 283 counterparts to Chandra sources with deep exposures (t~2-9 hr per pointing) using multi-slit facilities on both the VLT and Keck thus bringing the total number of spectroscopically-identified X-ray sources to over 500 in this survey field. We provide a comprehensive catalog of X-ray sources detected in the E-CDF-S including the optical and near-infrared counterparts, and redshifts (both spectroscopic and photometric) that incorporate published spectroscopic catalogs thus resulting in a final sample with a high fraction (80%) of X-ray sources having secure identifications. We demonstrate the remarkable coverage of the Lx-z plane now accessible from our data while emphasizing the detection of AGNs that contribute to the faint end of the luminosity function at 1.5, Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJS; 20 pages; 12 figures; High-level data products including redshift catalogs are available from http://member.ipmu.jp/john.silverman/CDFS.html

We have obtained a deep radio image with the Very Large Array at 6 cm in the Lockman Hole. The noise level in the central part of the field is about 11 microJy. From these data we have extracted a catalogue of 63 radio sources. The analysis of the radio spectral index suggests a flattening of the average radio spectra and an increase of the population of flat spectrum radio sources in the faintest flux bin. Cross correlation with the ROSAT/XMM X-ray sources list yields 13 reliable radio/X-ray associations, corresponding to about 21 per cent of the radio sample. Most of these associations (8 out of 13) are classified as Type II AGN. Using optical CCD (V and I) and K' band data we found an optical identification for 58 of the 63 radio sources. This corresponds to an identification rate of about 92 per cent, one of the highest percentages so far available. From the analysis of the colour-colour diagram and of the radio flux - optical magnitude diagram we have been able to select a subsample of radio sources whose optical counterparts are likely to be high redshift (z>0.5) early-type galaxies, hosting an Active Galactic Nucleus responsible of the radio activity. We also find evidence that at these faint radio limits a large fraction (about 60 per cent) of the faintest optical counterparts (i.e. sources in the magnitude range 22.54., Comment: 20 pages, Astronomy and Astrophysics, accepted