The Search for Optical and Near-Infrared Counterparts of GRBs with the Super-LOTIS Telescope

Journal Article · Tue Sep 28 04:00:00 EDT 2004 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1810944· OSTI ID:20630218

Williams, G G ^[1]; Park, H S; Wurtz, R E ^[2]; Barthelmy, S D ^[3]; Hartmann, D H; Lindsay, K J ^[4]; Hurley, K C ^[5]; Milne, P A; Bradshaw, M ^[6]; Wickersham, J ^[7]

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1. MMTO, 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)
2. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Ave, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States)
3. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29635-0978 (United States)
5. Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
6. Steward Observatory, 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)
7. UC Davis/LLNL, 7000 East Ave, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States)

The 0.6-m Super-LOTIS (Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System) telescope is a fully robotic system dedicated to the search for prompt optical emission from gamma-ray bursts. The telescope began routine operations from its Steward Observatory site atop Kitt Peak in April 2000. We summarize the current capabilities of the system and present some recent scientific results. A progress report is given on the upgrade of the system to allow for simultaneous near-infrared (NIR) and optical imaging. This upgrade will be completed to coincide with the launch of the Swift GRB explorer mission in mid-2004. Swift will have the capability of localizing very high redshift GRBs but absorption by the Ly-{alpha} forest prohibits optical detection of z > 5 bursts. NIR observations can detect GRBs out to z {approx} 10. Although Swift is a multi-wavelength observatory capable of observing GRBs from the hard x-rays to the optical it has no NIR capability. The upgraded Super-LOTIS telescope will fill this NIR need.

• OSTI ID: 20630218
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 727; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ABSORPTION
COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS
COSMIC GAMMA SOURCES
COSMIC PHOTONS
COSMIC RAY DETECTION
GAMMA DETECTION
HARD X RADIATION
PHOTON EMISSION
TELESCOPE COUNTERS
TRANSIENTS