COMPTEL MEASUREMENTS OF THE GAMMA-RAY BURST GRB-930131

On 1993 January 31 at 1857:12 UT, the Imaging Compton Telescope COMPTE L onboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) detected the cosmic gamma-ray burst GRB 930131. COMPTEL's MeV imaging capability was empl oyed to locate the source to better than 2-degrees (1 sigma error radi us) within 7 hr of the event, initiating a world-wide search for an op tical and radio counterpart. The maximum likelihood position of the bu rst from the COMPTEL data is alpha2000 = 12h18m, delta2000 = -9-degree s-42', consistent with independent CGRO-BATSE and EGRET locations as w ell as with the triangulation annulus constructed using BATSE and Ulys ses timing data. The combined COMPTEL and EGRET burst data yield a bet ter estimate of the burst location: alpha2000 = 12h12m and delta2000 = -10-degrees-21', with a 1 sigma error radius of 32'. In COMPTEL's ene rgy range, this burst was short, consisting of two separate spikes occ urring within a approximately 1 s interval with a low intensity tail f or approximately 1 s after the second spike. No statistically signific ant flux is present for a 30 s period after the main part of the burst . This is consistent with the EGRET data. The COMPTEL telescope events indicate a hard, power-law emission extending to beyond 10 MeV with a spectral index of -1.8 +/- 0.4. The rapid fluctuations and high inten sities of the gamma-ray flux > 10 MeV place the burst object no farthe r than 250 pc if the burst emission is not beamed.