Selection effects in the BeppoSAX gamma-ray bursts sample

¹ Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, C.N.R., Roma, Italy
² Istituto T.E.S.R.E., C.N.R., Bologna, Italy
³ Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita' di Ferrara, Italy
⁴ BeppoSAX Science Operation Center, Telespazio, Rome, Italy
⁵ Space Research Organization Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Received: 16 March 1999
Accepted: 16 April 1999

Abstract

The BeppoSAX satellite opened a new era in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) astronomy thanks to the capability of its Wide Field Cameras to accurately and promptly localize GRBs and of its X-ray telescopes to detect their fading X-ray counterparts. This led to the detection of counterparts at other wavelengths and to the determination of the GRB distance scale. However, the BeppoSAX instrumentation was not designed on this scope, and it is therefore not optimized to it. This could result in an inhomogeneous sample of events. In this paper we analyze the potential selection effects that can affect the sample of GRBs simultaneously detected in the Gamma Ray Burst Monitor and in the Wide Field Cameras, due to the characteristics of this BeppoSAX instrumentation.