Issue |
Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser.
Volume 138, Number 3, September 1999
Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era Contents Rome, November 3-6, 1998
|
|
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Page(s) | 567 - 568 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/aas:1999355 | |
Published online | 15 September 1999 |
Gamma-ray burst afterglow observations using AXAF and ACIS
Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, U.S.A.
Received:
18
December
1998
Accepted:
10
March
1999
With the successful launch of AXAF next summer, it will be possible to
observe the X-ray afterglow from gamma-ray bursts with much improved
positional accuracy ( arcsec) and sensitivity (2-10 keV,
in 10 ksec). A typical burst afterglow should
be observable within about 10 hours after the position has been determined
by BeppoSAX or any other satellite capable of determining the position
to within about 5 arcmin and provide about 1000 counts in a
10 ksec
integration using the ACIS on AXAF. To constrain the decrease of
intensity with time, using existing data from BeppoSAX and ASCA, the
burst should produce a measurable flux for up to about 4 months after
the gamma-ray event for an observing time of about 40 ksec, if a simple
extrapolation of the observed fall-off with time is assumed. Depending
upon a number of assumptions, there is a slight possibility of
observing iron lines from the gas immediately surrounding the
gamma-ray burst source using a long exposure (
ksec).
Key words: gamma-ray bursts
© European Southern Observatory (ESO), 1999