1994/09/12 by D. A. Frail, Frail, S. R. Kulkarni +17 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/187678
9 pages, postscript. ApJ(Letters) submitted. Hardcopies of paper with figures available on request from [email protected]. Report 002
arxiv created 1994/09/12 · openalex publication_date 1994/12/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2019/06/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We report on the results of a search for the radio counterpart to the bright γ-ray burst of 1994 March 1. Using the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory Synthesis Telescope sensitive, wide-field radio images at 1.4 GHz and 0.4 GHz were made of a region around GRB 940301. A total of 15 separate radio images were obtained at each frequency, sampling a near-continuous range of post-burst timescales between 3 and 15 days, as well as 26, 47, and 99 days. We place an upper limit of 3.5 mJy on a fading/flaring radio counterpart at 1.4 GHz and 55 mJy at 0.4 GHz. Unlike past efforts our counterpart search maintains high sensitivity over two decades of post-burst time durations. Time-variable radio emission after the initial γ-ray burst is a prediction of all fireball models, currently the most popular model for γ-ray bursts. Our observations allow us to put significant constraints on the fireball parameters for cosmological models of γ-ray bursts.