Prompt optical detection of GRB 050401 with ROTSE-IIIa

Authors

E. S. Rykoff, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
S. A. Yost, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
H. A. Krimm, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
F. Aharonian, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
C. W. Akerlof, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
K. Alatalo, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
M. C.B. Ashley, UNSW Sydney
S. D. Barthelmy, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
N. Gehrels, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
E. Göǧüş, Sabancı Üniversitesi
T. Güver, Istanbul Üniversitesi
D. Horns, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Ü Kiziloǧlu, Middle East Technical University (METU)
T. A. McKay, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
M. Özel, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi
A. Phillips, UNSW Sydney
R. M. Quimby, The University of Texas at Austin
W. Rujopakarn, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
B. E. Schaefer, Louisiana State University
D. A. Smith, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
H. F. Swan, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
W. T. Vestrand, Los Alamos National Laboratory
J. C. Wheeler, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi
J. Wren, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2005

Abstract

The ROTSE-IIIa telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia, detected prompt optical emission from Swift GRB 050401. We present observations of the early optical afterglow, first detected by the ROTSE-IIIa telescope 33 s after the start of γ-ray emission, contemporaneous with the brightest peak of this emission. This GRB was neither exceptionally long nor bright. This is the first prompt optical detection of a GRB of typical duration and luminosity. We find that the early afterglow decay does not deviate significantly from the power-law decay observable at later times and is uncorrelated with the prompt γ-ray emission. We compare this detection with the other two GRBs with prompt observations, GRB 990123 and GRB 041219a. All three bursts exhibit quite different behavior at early times. © 2005. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Astrophysical Journal

Recommended Citation

Rykoff, E., Yost, S., Krimm, H., Aharonian, F., Akerlof, C., Alatalo, K., Ashley, M., Barthelmy, S., Gehrels, N., Göǧüş, E., Güver, T., Horns, D., Kiziloǧlu, Ü., McKay, T., Özel, M., Phillips, A., Quimby, R., Rujopakarn, W., Schaefer, B., Smith, D., Swan, H., Vestrand, W., Wheeler, J., & Wren, J. (2005). Prompt optical detection of GRB 050401 with ROTSE-IIIa. Astrophysical Journal, 631 (2 II) https://doi.org/10.1086/497370