GRB 070714B—DISCOVERY OF THE HIGHEST SPECTROSCOPICALLY CONFIRMED SHORT BURST REDSHIFT

We detect the optical afterglow and host galaxy of GRB 070714B. Our observations of the afterglow show an initial plateau in the light curve for approximately the first 5–25 minutes, and then steepening to a power-law decay with index α = 0.86 ± 0.10 for the period between 1 and 24 hr postburst. This is consistent with the X-ray light curve which shows an initial plateau followed by a similar subsequent decay. At late time, we detect a host galaxy at the location of the optical transient. Gemini Nod & Shuffle spectroscopic observations of the host show a single emission line at 7167 Å which, based on a griz JHK photometric redshift, we conclude is the 3727 Å [O ii] line. We therefore find a redshift of z = 0.923. This redshift, as well as a subsequent probable spectroscopic redshift determination of GRB 070429B at z = 0.904 by two other groups significantly exceeds the previous highest spectroscopically confirmed short burst redshift of z = 0.546 for GRB 051221. This dramatically moves back the time at which we know short bursts were being formed and suggests that the present evidence for an old progenitor population may be observationally biased.