Engineering topics

Klose, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Klose, S..

15 records

NASA NTRS2012

The Late-time Afterglow of the Extremely Energetic Short Burst GRB 090510 Revisited

Context. The Swift discovery of the short burst GRB 090510 has raised considerable attention mainly because of two reasons: first, it had a bright optical afterglow, and second it is among the most energetic events detected so far within the entire GRB population (long plus short). The afterglow of GRB 090510 was observed with Swift/UVOT and Swift/XRT and evidence of a jet break around 1.5 ks after the burst has been reported in the literature, implying that after this break the optical and X-ray light curve should fade with the same decay slope. Aims. As noted by several authors, the post-break decay slope seen in the UVOT data is much shallower than the steep decay in the X-ray band, pointing to a (theoretically hard to understand) excess of optical flux at late times. We assess here the validity of this peculiar behavior. Methods. We reduced and analyzed new afterglow light-curve data obtained with the multichannel imager GROND. These additional g'r'i'z' data were then combined with the UVOT and XRT data to study the behavior of the afterglow at late times more stringently. Results. Based on the densely sampled data set obtained with GROND, we find that the optical afterglow of GRB 090510 did indeed enter a steep decay phase starting around 22 ks after the burst. During this time the GROND optical light curve is achromatic, and its slope is identical to the slope of the X-ray data. In combination with the UVOT data this implies that a second break must have occurred in the optical light curve around 22 ks post burst, which, however, has no obvious counterpart in the X-ray band, contradicting the interpretation that this could be another jet break. Conclusions. The GROND data provide the missing piece of evidence that the optical afterglow of GRB 090510 did follow a post-jet break evolution at late times. The break seen in the optical light curve around 22 ks in combination with its missing counterpart in the X-ray band could be due to the passage of the injection frequency across the optical bands, as already theoretically proposed in the literature. This is possibly the first time that this passage has been clearly seen in an optical afterglow. In addition, our results imply that there is no more evidence for an excess of flux in the optical bands at late times.

gamma-ray burst↗

NASA NTRS2012

The Fast Evolution of SN 2010bh Associated with XRF 100316D

The first observational evidence of a connection between supernovae (SNe) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) was found about a decade ago. Since then, only half a dozen spectroscopically confirmed associations have been discovered and XRF 1003160 associated with the type-Ic SN 20lObh is among the latest. Aims. We constrain the progenitor radius, the host-galaxy extinction, and the physical parameters of the explosion of XRF l00316D/SN 20lObh at z 0.059. We study the SN brightness and colours in the context of GRB-SNe. Methods. We began observations with the Gamma-Ray burst Optical and Near-infrared Detector (GROND) 12 hours after the GRB trigger and continued until 80 days after the burst. GROND provided excellent photometric data in six filter bands covering a wavelength range from approximately 350 to 1800 nm, significantly expanding the pre-existing data set for this event. Combining GROND and Swift data, the early broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) is modelled with a blackbody and afterglow component attenuated by dust and gas absorption. The temperature and radius evolution of the thermal component are analysed and combined with earlier measurements available from the literature. Templates of SN 1998bw are fitted to the SN itself to directly compare the lightcurve properties. Finally, a two-component parametrized model is fitted to the quasi-bolometric light curve. which delivers physical parameters of the explosion. Results. The best-fit models to the broad-band SEDs imply moderate reddening along the line of sight through the host galaxy (A(sub v.host = 1.2 +/- 0.1 mag). Furthermore, the parameters of the blackbody component reveal a cooling envelope at an apparent initial radius of 7 x 10(exp 11) cm, which is compatible with a dense wind surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star. A multicolor comparison shows that SN 2010bh is 60 - 70% as bright as SN 1998bw. Reaching maximum brightness at 8 - 9 days after the burst in the blue bands, SN 20lObh proves to be the most rapidly evolving GRB-SNe to date. Modelling of the quasi-bolometric light curve yields M(sub Ni) = 0.21 +/- 0.03 solar M and M(sub ej) = 2.6 +/- 0.2 solar M, typical of values within the GRB-SN population. The kinetic energy is E(sub k) = (2.4 +/- 0.7) x 10(exp 52) erg, which is making this SN the second most energetic GRB-SN after SN 1998bw. Conclusions. This supernova has one of the earliest peaks ever recorded and thereafter fades more rapidly than other GRB-SNe, hypernovae, or typical type-Ic SNe. This could be explained by a thin envelope expanding at very high velocities, which is therefore unable to retain the gamma-rays that would prolong the duration of the SN event.

Olivares E., F.↗

NASA NTRS2011

BL Lacertae Objects Beyond Redshift 1.3 - UV-to-NIR Photometry and Photometric Redshift for Fermi/LAT Blazars

Context. Observations of the gamma-ray sky with Fermi led to significant advances towards understanding blazars, the most extreme class of Active Galactic Nuclei. A large fraction of the population detected by Fermi is formed by BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects, whose sample has always suffered from a severe redshift incompleteness due to the quasi-featureless optical spectra. Aims. Our goal is to provide a significant increase of the number of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac objects contained in the 2 LAC Fermi/LAT catalog. Methods. For 103 Fermi/LAT blazars, photometric redshifts using spectral energy distribution fitting have been obtained. The photometry includes 13 broad-band filters from the far ultraviolet to the near-IR observed with Swift/UVOT and the multi-channel imager GROND at the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope. Data have been taken quasi-simultaneously and the remaining source-intrinsic variability has been corrected for. Results. We release the UV-to-near-IR 13-band photometry for all 103 sources and provide redshift constraints for 75 sources without previously known redshift. Out of those, eight have reliable photometric redshifts at z > or approx. 1.3, while for the other 67 sources we provide upper limits. Six of the former eight are BL Lac objects, which quadruples the sample of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac. This includes three sources with redshifts higher than the previous record for BL Lac, including CRATES J0402-2615, with the best-fit solution at z approx. = 1.9.

Rau, A.↗

NASA NTRS2011

GRB 091127: The Cooling Break Race on Magnetic Fuel

Using high-quality, broad-band afterglow data for GRB 091127, we investigate the validity of the synchrotron fireball model for gamma-ray bursts, and infer physical parameters of the ultra-relativistic outflow. Methods. We used multi-wavelength (NIR to X-ray) follow-up observations obtained with GROND simultaneously in the g' r' t' i' z' JH filters and the XRT onboard the Swift satellite in the 0.3 to 10 keY energy range. The resulting afterglow light curve is of excellent accuracy with relative photometric errors as low as 1 %, and the spectral energy distribution (SED) is well-sampled over 5 decades in energy. These data present one of the most comprehensive observing campaigns for a single GRB afterglow and allow us to test several proposed emission models and outflow characteristics in unprecedented detail. Results. Both the multi-color light curve and the broad-band SED of the afterglow of GRB 091127 show evidence of a cooling break moving from high to lower energies. The early light curve is well described by a broken power-law, where the initial decay in the optical/NlR wavelength range is considerably flatter than at X-rays. Detailed fitting of the time-resolved SED shows that the break is very smooth with a sharpness index of 2.2 +/- 0.2, and evolves towards lower frequencies as a power-law with index -1.23 +/- 0.06. These are the first accurate and contemporaneous measurements of both the sharpness of the spectral break and its time evolution. Conclusions. The measured evolution of the cooling break (V(sub c) varies as t(sup -1.2) is not consistent with the predictions of the standard model, wherein V(sub c) varies as t(sup -05) is expected. A possible explanation for the observed behavior is a time dependence of the microphysical parameters, in particular the fraction of the total energy in the magnetic field epsilon(sub Beta). This conclusion provides further evidence that the standard fireball model is too simplistic, and time-dependent micro-physical parameters may be required to model the growing number of well-sampled afterglow light curves.

Filgas, R.↗

NASA NTRS2011

The SEDs and Host Galaxies of the Dustiest GRB Afterglows

The afterglows and host galaxies of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer unique opportunities to study star-forming galaxies in the high-z Universe, Until recently, however. the information inferred from GRB follow-up observations was mostly limited to optically bright afterglows. biasing all demographic studies against sight-lines that contain large amounts of dust. Aims. Here we present afterglow and host observations for a sample of bursts that are exemplary of previously missed ones because of high visual extinction (A(sub v) (Sup GRB) approx > 1 mag) along the sight-line. This facilitates an investigation of the properties, geometry and location of the absorbing dust of these poorly-explored host galaxies. and a comparison to hosts from optically-selected samples. Methods. This work is based on GROND optical/NIR and Swift/XRT X-ray observations of the afterglows, and multi-color imaging for eight GRB hosts. The afterglow and galaxy spectral energy distributions yield detailed insight into physical properties such as the dust and metal content along the GRB sight-line as well as galaxy-integrated characteristics like the host's stellar mass, luminosity. color-excess and star-formation rate. Results. For the eight afterglows considered in this study we report for the first time the redshift of GRBs 081109 (z = 0.97S7 +/- 0.0005). and the visual extinction towards GRBs 0801109 (A(sub v) (Sup GRB) = 3.4(sup +0.4) (sub -0.3) mag) and l00621A (A(sub v) (Sup GRB) = 3.8 +/- 0.2 mag), which are among the largest ever derived for GRB afterglows. Combined with non-extinguished GRBs. there is a strong anti-correlation between the afterglow's metals-to-dust ratio and visual extinction. The hosts of the dustiest afterglows are diverse in their properties, but on average redder(((R - K)(sub AB)) approximates 1.6 mag), more luminous ( approximates 0.9 L (sup *)) and massive ((log M(sup *) [M(solar]) approximates 9.8) than the hosts of optically-bright events. We hence probe a different galaxy population. suggesting that previous host samples miss most of the massive. chemically-evolved and metal-rich members. This also indicates that the dust along the sight-line is often related to host properties, and thus probably located in the diffuse ISM or interstellar clouds and not in the immediate GRB environment. Some of the hosts in our sample. are blue, young or of small stellar mass illustrating that even apparently non-extinguished galaxies possess very dusty sight-lines due to a patchy dust distribution. Conclusions. The afterglows and host galaxies of the dustiest GRBs provide evidence for a complex dust geometry in star-forming galaxies. In addition, they establish a population of luminous. massive and correspondingly chemically-evolved GRB hosts. This suggests that GRBs trace the global star-formation rate better than studies based on optically-selected host samples indicate, and the previously-claimed deficiency of high-mass host galaxies was at least partially a selection effect.

Kruhler, T.↗

NASA NTRS2010

The Swift/Fermi GRB 080928 from 1 eV to 150 keV

We present the results of a comprehensive study of the Gamma-Ray Burst 080928 and of its afterglow. GRB 08092 was a long burst detected by Swift/BAT and Fermi/GBM, It is one of the exceptional cases where optical emission was already detected when the GRB itself was still radiating in the gamma-ray band. for nearly 100 seconds simultaneous optical X-ray and gamma-ray data provide a coverage of the spectral energy distribution of the transient source from about 1 eV to 150 keV. Here we analyze the prompt emission, constrain its spectral propertIes. and set lower limits on the initial Lorentz factor of the relativistic outflow, In particular. we show that the SED during the main prompt emission phase is in agreement with synchrotron radiation. We construct the optical/near-infrared light curve and the spectral energy distribution based on Swift/UVOT. ROTSE-Illa (Australia) and GROND (La Silla) data and compare it to the X-ray light curve retrieved from the Swift/XRT repository. We show that its bumpy shape can be modeled by multiple energy injections into the forward shock. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the temporal and spectral evolution of the first strong flare seen in the early X-ray light curve can be explained by large-angle emission. Finally, we report on the results of our search for the GRB host galaxy, for which only a deep upper limit can be provided.

Sonbas, Eda↗

NASA NTRS2006

Gamma-Ray Burst Associated Supernovae: Outliers Become Mainstream

During the last eight years a clear connection has been established-between the two most powerful explosions in our Universe: core-collapse supernovae (SNe) and long gamma ray bursts (GRBs). Theory suggests4 that every GRB is simultaneously accompanied by a SN, but in only a few nearby cases have these two phenomena been observed together. We report the discovery and daily monitoring of SN 2006aj associated with the GRB 060218. Because the event was the second closest GRB, both explosions could be examined in detail. GRB 060218 had an unusually soft spectrum, long duration, and a total energy 100 to 1000 times less than most other GRBs. Yet SN 2006aj was similar to those in other GRBs, aside from rising more rapidly and being approximately 40% fainter. Taken together, these observations suggest that GRBs have two components: a broad, energetic, but only mildly relativistic outflow that makes a SN, and a more narrowly focused, highly relativistic jet responsible for the GRB. The properties of the GRB jet apparently vary greatly from event to event, while the broad SN outflow varies much less. Low energy transients like GRB 060218 may be the most common events in the Universe.

Pian, E.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Constraints on an Optical Afterglow and on Supernova Light Following the Short Burst GRB 050813

We report early follow-up observations of the error box of the short burst 050813 using the telescopes at Calar Alto and at Observatorio Sierra Nevada (OSN), followed by deep VLT/FORS2 I-band observations obtained under very good seeing conditions 5.7 and 11.7 days after the event. No evidence for a GRB afterglow was found in our Calar Alto and OSN data, no rising supernova component was detected in our FORS2 images. A potential host galaxy can be identified in our FORS2 images, even though we cannot state with certainty its association with GRB 050813. IN any case, the optical afterglow of GRB 050813 was very faint, well in agreement with what is known so far about the optical properties of afterglows of short bursts. We conclude that all optical data are not in conflict with the interpretation that GRB 050813 was a short burst.

Ferrero, P.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Constraints on Short Gamma-ray Burst Models with Optical Limits of GRB 050509b

We have obtained deep optical images with the Very Large Telescope at ESO of the first well-localized short-duration gamma-ray burst, GRB 050509b. We observed in the V and R bands at epochs starting at approx. 2 days after the GRB trigger and lasting up to three weeks. We detect no variable objects inside the small Swift/XRT X-ray error circle down to 5(sigma) limiting magnitudes of V = 26.5 and R = 25.2. The X-ray error circle includes a giant elliptical galaxy at z = 0.225, which has been proposed as the likely host of this GRB. Our limits indicate that if the GRB originated at z = 0.225, any supernova-like event accompanying the GRB would have to be over 100 times fainter than normal Type Ia SNe or Type IC hypernovae, 5 times fainter than the faintest known Ia or IC SNe, and fainter than the faintest known Type II SNe. Moreover, we use the optical limits to constrain the energetics of the GRB outflow, and conclude that there was very little radioactive material produced during the GRB explosion. These limits strongly constrain progenitor models for this short GRB. Subject headings: gamma rays: bursts - supernovae

Hjorth, J.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Probing a Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor at a Redshift of z = 2: A Comprehensive Observing Campaign Campaign of the Afterglow of GRB 030226

We report results from a comprehensive follow-up observing campaign of the afterglow of GRB 030226 including VLT spectroscopy, VLT polarimetry, and Chandra X-ray observations. In addition, we present BOOTES-1 wide-field observations at the time of the occurrence of the burst. First observations at ESO started 0.2 days after the event when the gamma ray burst (GRB) afterglow was at a magnitude of R approximately 19 and continued until the afterglow had faded below the detection threshold (R greater than 26). No underlying host galaxy was found. The optical light curve shows a break around 0.8 days after the burst, which is achromatic within the observational errors, supporting the view that it was due to a jetted explosion. Close to the break time the degree of linear polarization of the afterglow light was less than 1.1%, which favors a uniform-jet model rather than a structured one. VLT spectra show two absorption line systems at redshifts z = 1.962 plus or minus 0.001 and 1.986 plus or minus 0.001, placing the lower limit for the redshift of the GRB close to 2. We emphasize that the kinematics and the composition of the absorbing clouds responsible for these line systems are very similar to those observed in the afterglow of GRB 021004. This corroborates the picture in which at least some GRBs are physically related to the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star.

Klose, S.↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Deep Near-Infrared Survey of the N 49 Region around the Soft Gamma-Ray Repeater 0526-66

We report the results of a deep near-infrared survey of the vicinity of supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which contains the soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) 0526-66. Two of the four confirmed SGRs are potentially associated with compact stellar clusters. We thus searched for a similar association of SGR0526-66, and find the unexplored young stellar cluster SL 463 at a projected distance of approx. 30 pc from the SGR. This constitutes the third cluster-SGR link, and lends support to scenarios in which SGR progenitors originate in young, embedded clusters. If real, the cluster-SGR association constrains the age and thus the initial mass of these stars. In addition, our high-resolution images of the super- nova remnant N49 reveal an area of excess K-band flux in the southeastern part of the SNR. This feature coincides with the maximum flux area at 8.28 microns as detected by the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX satellite), which we identify with IRAS 052594607.

Klose, S.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Probing a GRB Progenitor at a Redshift of z=2: A Comprehensive Observing Campaign of the Afterglow of GRB 030226l

We report results from a comprehensive optical/near-infrared follow-up observing campaign of the afterglow of GRB 030226, including VLT spectroscopy and polarimetry, supplemented by Chandra X-ray and BOOTES-1 rapid response observations. First observations at ESO started 0.2 days after the burst when the afterglow was at a magnitude of R approx. 19. The multi-color light curve of the afterglow, with a break around 1 day after the burst, is achromatic within the observational uncertainties even during episodes of short-term fluctuations. Close to the break time the degree of linear polarization of the afterglow light was less than 1.1%, consistent with low intrinsic polarization observed in other afterglows. VLT spectra show a foreground absorber of Mg II at a redshift z=1.042 and two absorption line systems at redshifts z=1.962+/-0.001 and at z=1.986+/-0.001, placing the lower limit for the redshift of the GRB close to 2. The kinematics and the composition of the absorbing clouds is very similar to those observed in the afterglow of GRB 021004, supporting the view that at least some GRBs are physically related to the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star.

Klose, S.↗

NASA NTRS2003

The Achromatic Light Curve of the Optical Afterglow of GRB 030226 at a Redshift of z Approximately 2

Abstract. We report on optical and near-infrared (NIR) follow-up observations of the afterglow of GRB 030226, mainly performed with the telescopes at ESO La Silla and Paranal, with additional data obtained at other places. Our first observations started 0.2 days after the burst when the afterglow was at a magnitude of R approximately equal to 19 . One week later the magnitude of the afterglow had fallen to R=25, and at two weeks after the burst it could no longer be detected (R > 26). Our VLT blueband spectra show two absorption line systems at redshifts z = 1.962 +/- 0.001 and at z = 1.986 +/- 0.001, placing the redshift of the burster close to 2. Within our measurement errors no evidence for variations in the line strengths has been found between 0.2 and 1.2 days after the burst. An overabundance of alpha-group elements might indicate that the burst occurred in a chemically young interstellar region shaped by the nucleosynthesis from type II supernovae. The spectral slope of the afterglow shows no signs for cosmic dust along the line of sight in the GRB host galaxy, which itself remained undetected (R > 26.2). At the given redshift no supernova component affected the light from the GRB afterglow, so that the optical transient was essentially only powered by the radiation from the GRB fireball, allowing for a detailed investigation of the color evolution of the afterglow light. In our data set no obvious evidence for color changes has been found before, during, or after the smooth break in the light curve approximately 1 day after the burst. In comparison with investigations by others, our data favor the interpretation that the afterglow began to develop into a homogeneous interstellar medium before the break in the light curve became apparent.

Klose, S.↗

NASA NTRS2003

GRB 011121: A Collimated Outflow into Wind-Blown Surroundings

We report optical and near-infrared follow-up observations of GRB 011121 collected predominantly at ESO telescopes in Chile. We discover a break in the afterglow light curve after 1.3 days, which implies an initial jet opening angle of about 9 deg. The jet origin of this break is supported by the fact that the spectral energy distribution is achromatic during the first four days. During later phases, GRB 011121 shows significant excess emission above the flux predicted by a power law, which we interpret as additional light from an underlying supernova. In particular, the spectral energy distribution of the optical transient approximately 2 weeks after the burst is clearly not of power-law type, but can be presented by a black body with a temperature of approx. 6000 K. The deduced parameters for the decay slope as well as the spectral index favor a wind scenario, i.e. an outflow into a circum-burst environment shaped by the stellar wind of a massive GRB progenitor. Due to its low redshift of z=0.36, GRB 011121 has been the best example for the GRB-supernova connection until GRB 030329, and provides compelling evidence for a circum-burster wind region expected to exist if the progenitor was a massive star.

Greiner, J.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Rapid Search for a Near-Infrared Counterpart of GRB 960924

We report the results of a rapid search for a near-infrared counterpart of the very strong gamma-ray burst 960924. The survey was performed in JHK-prime only 3.5 days after the burst. It was centered at the most probable burster position and covers about 1/3 of the BACODINE/IPN/Huntsville error box represented by the intersection of the 1-sigma, BATSE error circle and the 3-sigma, IPN annulus. Second epoch observations were carried out in the near-infrared about 100 days and 500 days after the burst. No Near Infrared (NIR) transient source was detected within the surveyed IPN annulus to magnitude limits J is approximately 17.5 and K is approximately 15-5.

Klose, S.↗