1998/03/20 by Eric Woods, Abraham Loeb
Physics and Astronomy · #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/306437
13 pages, submitted to ApJL
arxiv created 1998/03/20 · openalex publication_date 1998/12/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
We predict the rate at which gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows should be detected in supernova (SN) searches as a function of limiting flux. Although GRB afterglows are rarer than supernovae (SNs), they are detectable at greater distances because of their higher intrinsic luminosity. Assuming that GRBs trace the cosmic star formation history and that every GRB gives rise to a bright afterglow, we find that the average detection rate of SNs and afterglows should be comparable at limiting magnitudes brighter than K = 18. The actual rate of afterglows is expected to be somewhat lower since only a fraction of all gamma-ray-selected GRBs were observed to have associated afterglows. Hence, current and future SN searches can place strong constraints on the afterglow appearance fraction of GRB sources.