The rapid decay of the optical emission from GRB 980326 and its possible implications

Authors
Groot, PJ Galama, TJ Vreeswijk, PM Wijers, RAMJ Pian, E Palazzi, E van Paradijs, J Kouveliotou, C in't Zand, JJM Heise, J Robinson, C Tanvir, N Lidman, C Tinney, C Keane, M Briggs, M Hurley, K Gonzalez, JF Hall, P Smith, MG Covarrubias, R Jonker, PG Casares, J Masetti, N Frontera, F Feroci, M Piro, L Costa, E Smith, R Jones, B Windridge, D Bland-Hawthorn, J Veilleux, S Garcia, M Brown, WR Stanek, KZ Castro-Tirado, AJ Gorosabel, J Greiner, J Jager, K Bohm, A Fricke, KJ
Citation
Pj. Groot et al., The rapid decay of the optical emission from GRB 980326 and its possible implications, ASTROPHYS J, 502(2), 1998, pp. L123-L127
Citations number
45
Categorie Soggetti
Space Sciences
Journal title
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
ISSN journal
0004637X → ACNP
Volume
502
Issue
2
Year of publication
1998
Part
2
Pages
L123 - L127
Database
ISI
SICI code
0004-637X(19980801)502:2<L123:TRDOTO>2.0.ZU;2-8
Abstract
We report the discovery of the optical counterpart to GRB 980326. Its rapid optical decay can be characterized by a power law with exponent -2.10 +/- 0.13 and a constant underlying source at R-c = 25.5 +/- 0.5. Its optical co lors 2.1 days after the burst imply a spectral slope of -0.66 +/- 0.70. The gamma-ray spectrum as observed with BATSE shows that it is among the 4% so ftest bursts ever recorded. We argue that the rapid optical decay may be a reason for the nondetection of some low-energy afterglows of GRBs.