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Description
We present VLT/FORS2 spectroscopy and Gamma-ray Optical/Near-Infrared Detector optical/near-IR photometry of the afterglow of the bright Fermi/LAT GRB 090926A. The spectrum shows prominent Lyman-{alpha} absorption with N_HI_=10^21.73+/-0.07^cm^-2^ and a multitude of metal lines at a common redshift of z=2.1062+/-0.0004, which we associate with the redshift of the gamma-ray burst (GRB). The metallicity derived from SII is log(Z/Z_{sun}_)~-1.9, one of the lowest values ever found in a GRB Damped Lyman-{alpha} (DLA) system. This confirms that the spread of metallicity in GRB-DLAs at z~2 is at least two orders of magnitude. We argue that this spread in metallicity does not require a similar range in abundances of the GRB progenitors, since the neutral interstellar medium probed by the DLA is expected to be at a significant distance from the explosion site. The hydrogen column density derived from the Swift/XRT afterglow spectrum (assuming log(Z/Z_{sun}_)~-1.9) is ~100 times higher than the N_HI_ obtained from the Lyman-{alpha} absorptions. This suggests either a large column density of ionized gas or a higher metallicity of the circum-burst medium compared to the gas traced by the DLA. We also discuss the afterglow light curve evolution and energetics. The absence of a clear jet-break like steeping until at least 21 days post-burst suggests a beaming-corrected energy release of E_{gamma}_>3.5x10^52^erg, indicating that GRB 090926A may have been one of the most energetic bursts ever detected.
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