Unveiling the fundamental properties of Gamma-Ray Burst host galaxies

The galaxies hosting the most energetic explosions in the universe, the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), are generally found to be low-mass, metal-poor, blue and star forming. However, the majority of the targets investigated so far (less than 100) are at relatively low redshift, z < 2. We know that at low redshift, the cosmic star formation is predominantly in small galaxies. Therefore, at low redshift, long-duration GRBs, which are associated with massive stars, are expected to be in small galaxies. Preliminary investigations of the stellar mass function of z < 1.5 GRB hosts does not indicate that these galaxies are different from the general population of nearby star-forming galaxies. At high-z, it is still unclear whether GRB hosts are different. Recent results indicate that a fraction of them might be in dusty regions of massive galaxies. Remarkable is the a super-solar metallicity measured in the interstellar medium of a z = 3.57 GRB host.