A Detection of Molecular Gas Emission in the Host Galaxy of GRB 080517
  We have observed the host galaxy of the low redshift, low luminosity GRB
080517 at 105.8 GHz using the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer. We detect an
emission line with integrated flux S.delta{nu} = 0.39 +/- 0.05 Jy km/s -
consistent both spatially and in velocity with identification as the J=1-0
rotational transition of carbon monoxide (CO) at the host galaxy redshift. This
represents only the third long GRB host galaxy with molecular gas detected in
emission. The inferred molecular gas mass, M_H2 ~ 6.3 x 10^8 M_sun, implies a
gas consumption timescale of ~40 Myr if star formation continues at its current
rate. Similar short timescales appear characteristic of the long GRB population
with CO observations to date, suggesting that the gamma-ray burst in these
sources occurs towards the end of their star formation episode.
