Observations of Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows with the Robotic Palomar 60-Inch Telescope
Abstract
We present a brief overview of the roboticized Palomar 60-inch telescope (P60), as well as scientific highlights from the first two years of operation. The facility was designed for moderately fast (t 3 minutes) and sustained (R < 23 mag) observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows and other transient phenomena. A null detection from deep, early-time P60 Riz observations of GRB 050904 indicated the event may be at redshift z > 6. The event was eventually spectroscopically confirmed to lie at z = 6.29, making GRB 050904 the most distant GRB detected to date. Early-time, multi-color P60 observations, coupled with complementary high energy data from Swift, made GRB 050820A one of the select few events with contemporaneous optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations. This event was optically bright enough to monitor for over one week with P60; coupled with radio data from the Very Large Array, X-ray data from Swift, and late-time Hubble Space Telescope observations, GRB 050820A is one of the best studied events in the Swift era. We have also obtained a multi-color light curve of XRF 060218 / SN2006aj with P60. Combined with regular spectroscopic monitoring from Palomar, Keck, and Gemini, we present a detailed study of the properties of this unusual transient. Finally, we conclude with a discussion on the future of transient astronomy with P60 and other robotic facilities.
- Publication:
-
AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division #9
- Pub Date:
- September 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006HEAD....9.1312C