LOTIS search for early-time optical afterglows: GRB 971227

We report on the very early time search for an optical afterglow from GRB 9 71227 with the Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System (LOTIS). LOTIS be gan imaging the "original" BATSE error box of GRB 971227 similar to 14 s af ter the onset of gamma-ray emission. Continuous monitoring of the position throughout the evening yielded a total of 499 images (10 s integration). An alysis of these images revealed no steady optical afterglow brighter than R = 12.3 +/- 0.2 in any single image. Go-addition of the LOTIS images also f ailed to uncover transient optical emission. In particular, assuming a cons tant early-time flux, no optical afterglow brighter than R = 14.2 +/- 0.2 w as present within the first 1200 s, and no optical afterglow brighter than R = 15.0 +/- 0.2 was present in the first 6.0 hr. Follow-up observations by other groups revealed a likely X-ray afterglow and a possible optical afte rglow. Although subsequent deeper observations could not confirm a fading s ource, we show that these transients are not inconsistent with our present knowledge of the characteristics of gamma-ray burst afterglows. We also dem onstrate that with the upgraded thermoelectrically cooled CCDs, LOTIS is ca pable of either detecting very early time optical afterglow or placing stri ngent constraints on the relationship between the gamma-ray emission and th e longer wavelength afterglow in relativistic blast-wave models.