UVES-VLT High Resolution Spectroscopy of GRB080319B and GRB080330 Afterglows

We study here the Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) environment through the analysis of the optical absorption features due to the gas surrounding the GRB. In particular, we analyze high resolution spectroscopic observations of GRB080319B and GRB080330 taken with UVES at the VLT, starting 8m30s and 1.5hr after the GRB trigger, respectively. The spectra show that the ISM of the GRB host galaxies are complex, with several components contributing to the host absorption system. In addition, we detect strong excited absorption lines, from which we derive information on the gas distance from the site of the GRB explosion. Under the assumption that the excited features are produced by indirect UV pumping, we found that this distance results to be 2-6 kpc for GRB080319B and 280+/-50 pc for GRB080330, meaning that the power of the GRB radiation can influence the conditions of the interstellar medium up to a distance of several hundred pc.