A search for optical counterparts of gamma-ray bursts

Details A search for optical counterparts of gamma-ray bursts A search for optical counterparts of gamma-ray bursts

Mar 1995

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995llnl.rept.....p&link_type=abstract

Final Report Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Astrophysics, Crab Nebula, Energy Spectra, Gamma Ray Bursts, Gamma Rays, Light (Visible Radiation), Point Sources, Spaceborne Experiments, Gamma Ray Observatory, Optical Equipment, Radiation Spectra, Telescopes, Time Dependence

Scientific paper

Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB's) are mysterious flashes of gamma rays lasting several tens to hundreds of seconds that occur approximately once per day. NASA launched the orbiting Compton Gamma Ray Observatory to study GRB's and other gamma ray phenomena. CGRO carries the Burst and Transient Experiment (BATSE) specifically to study GRB's. Although BATSE has collected data on over 600 GRB's, and confirmed that GRB's are localized, high intensity point sources of MeV gamma rays distributed isotropically in the sky, the nature and origin of GRB's remains a fundamental problem in astrophysics. BATSE's 8 gamma ray sensors located on the corners of the box shaped CGRO can detect the onset of GRB's and record their intensity and energy spectra as a function of time. The position of the burst on the sky can be determined to less than plus or minus 10 deg from the BATSE data stream. This position resolution is not sufficient to point a large, optical telescope at the exact position of a GRB which would determine its origin by associating it with a star. Because of their brief duration it is not known if GRB's are accompanied by visible radiation. Their seemingly large energy output suggests that this should be. Simply scaling the ratio of visible to gamma ray intensities of the Crab Nebula to the GRB output suggests that GRB's ought to be accompanied by visible flashes of magnitude 10 or so. A few photographs of areas containing a burst location that were coincidentally taken during the burst yield lower limits on visible output of magnitude 4. The detection of visible light during the GRB would provide information on burst physics, provide improved pointing coordinates for precise examination of the field by large telescope and provide the justification for larger dedicated optical counterpart instruments. The purpose of this experiment is to detect or set lower limits on optical counterpart radiation simultaneously accompanying the gamma rays from GRB.

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