ALBERT

Description: We report early follow-up observations of the error box of the short burst 050813 using the telescopes at Calar Alto and at Observatorio Sierra Nevada (OSN), followed by deep VLT/FORS2 I-band observations obtained under very good seeing conditions 5.7 and 11.7 days after the event. No evidence for a GRB afterglow was found in our Calar Alto and OSN data, no rising supernova component was detected in our FORS2 images. A potential host galaxy can be identified in our FORS2 images, even though we cannot state with certainty its association with GRB 050813. IN any case, the optical afterglow of GRB 050813 was very faint, well in agreement with what is known so far about the optical properties of afterglows of short bursts. We conclude that all optical data are not in conflict with the interpretation that GRB 050813 was a short burst.

Description: We report results from a comprehensive optical/near-infrared follow-up observing campaign of the afterglow of GRB 030226, including VLT spectroscopy and polarimetry, supplemented by Chandra X-ray and BOOTES-1 rapid response observations. First observations at ESO started 0.2 days after the burst when the afterglow was at a magnitude of R approx. 19. The multi-color light curve of the afterglow, with a break around 1 day after the burst, is achromatic within the observational uncertainties even during episodes of short-term fluctuations. Close to the break time the degree of linear polarization of the afterglow light was less than 1.1%, consistent with low intrinsic polarization observed in other afterglows. VLT spectra show a foreground absorber of Mg II at a redshift z=1.042 and two absorption line systems at redshifts z=1.962+/-0.001 and at z=1.986+/-0.001, placing the lower limit for the redshift of the GRB close to 2. The kinematics and the composition of the absorbing clouds is very similar to those observed in the afterglow of GRB 021004, supporting the view that at least some GRBs are physically related to the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star.

Description: We report the results of a deep near-infrared survey of the vicinity of supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which contains the soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) 0526-66. Two of the four confirmed SGRs are potentially associated with compact stellar clusters. We thus searched for a similar association of SGR0526-66, and find the unexplored young stellar cluster SL 463 at a projected distance of approx. 30 pc from the SGR. This constitutes the third cluster-SGR link, and lends support to scenarios in which SGR progenitors originate in young, embedded clusters. If real, the cluster-SGR association constrains the age and thus the initial mass of these stars. In addition, our high-resolution images of the super- nova remnant N49 reveal an area of excess K-band flux in the southeastern part of the SNR. This feature coincides with the maximum flux area at 8.28 microns as detected by the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX satellite), which we identify with IRAS 052594607.

Description: Using high-quality, broad-band afterglow data for GRB 091127, we investigate the validity of the synchrotron fireball model for gamma-ray bursts, and infer physical parameters of the ultra-relativistic outflow. Methods. We used multi-wavelength (NIR to X-ray) follow-up observations obtained with GROND simultaneously in the g' r' t' i' z' JH filters and the XRT onboard the Swift satellite in the 0.3 to 10 keY energy range. The resulting afterglow light curve is of excellent accuracy with relative photometric errors as low as 1 %, and the spectral energy distribution (SED) is well-sampled over 5 decades in energy. These data present one of the most comprehensive observing campaigns for a single GRB afterglow and allow us to test several proposed emission models and outflow characteristics in unprecedented detail. Results. Both the multi-color light curve and the broad-band SED of the afterglow of GRB 091127 show evidence of a cooling break moving from high to lower energies. The early light curve is well described by a broken power-law, where the initial decay in the optical/NlR wavelength range is considerably flatter than at X-rays. Detailed fitting of the time-resolved SED shows that the break is very smooth with a sharpness index of 2.2 +/- 0.2, and evolves towards lower frequencies as a power-law with index -1.23 +/- 0.06. These are the first accurate and contemporaneous measurements of both the sharpness of the spectral break and its time evolution. Conclusions. The measured evolution of the cooling break (V(sub c) varies as t(sup -1.2) is not consistent with the predictions of the standard model, wherein V(sub c) varies as t(sup -05) is expected. A possible explanation for the observed behavior is a time dependence of the microphysical parameters, in particular the fraction of the total energy in the magnetic field epsilon(sub Beta). This conclusion provides further evidence that the standard fireball model is too simplistic, and time-dependent micro-physical parameters may be required to model the growing number of well-sampled afterglow light curves.

Description: During the last eight years a clear connection has been established-between the two most powerful explosions in our Universe: core-collapse supernovae (SNe) and long gamma ray bursts (GRBs). Theory suggests4 that every GRB is simultaneously accompanied by a SN, but in only a few nearby cases have these two phenomena been observed together. We report the discovery and daily monitoring of SN 2006aj associated with the GRB 060218. Because the event was the second closest GRB, both explosions could be examined in detail. GRB 060218 had an unusually soft spectrum, long duration, and a total energy 100 to 1000 times less than most other GRBs. Yet SN 2006aj was similar to those in other GRBs, aside from rising more rapidly and being approximately 40% fainter. Taken together, these observations suggest that GRBs have two components: a broad, energetic, but only mildly relativistic outflow that makes a SN, and a more narrowly focused, highly relativistic jet responsible for the GRB. The properties of the GRB jet apparently vary greatly from event to event, while the broad SN outflow varies much less. Low energy transients like GRB 060218 may be the most common events in the Universe.

Description: We report results from a comprehensive follow-up observing campaign of the afterglow of GRB 030226 including VLT spectroscopy, VLT polarimetry, and Chandra X-ray observations. In addition, we present BOOTES-1 wide-field observations at the time of the occurrence of the burst. First observations at ESO started 0.2 days after the event when the gamma ray burst (GRB) afterglow was at a magnitude of R approximately 19 and continued until the afterglow had faded below the detection threshold (R greater than 26). No underlying host galaxy was found. The optical light curve shows a break around 0.8 days after the burst, which is achromatic within the observational errors, supporting the view that it was due to a jetted explosion. Close to the break time the degree of linear polarization of the afterglow light was less than 1.1%, which favors a uniform-jet model rather than a structured one. VLT spectra show two absorption line systems at redshifts z = 1.962 plus or minus 0.001 and 1.986 plus or minus 0.001, placing the lower limit for the redshift of the GRB close to 2. We emphasize that the kinematics and the composition of the absorbing clouds responsible for these line systems are very similar to those observed in the afterglow of GRB 021004. This corroborates the picture in which at least some GRBs are physically related to the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star.