GRB 030329 explained

GRB 030329 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) that was detected on 29 March 2003 at 11:37 UTC. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash associated with an explosion in a distant galaxy and producing gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation, and often followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitted at longer wavelengths (X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and radio). GRB 030329 was the first burst whose afterglow definitively exhibited characteristics of a supernova, confirming the existence of a relationship between the two phenomena.

Observations

GRB 030329 was one of three gamma-ray bursts detected on 29 March 2003. The other two were labeled GRB 030329a[1] and GRB 030329b.[2] GRB 030329 was detected by multiple instruments onboard HETE at 11:37 UTC and lasted approximately 25 seconds.[3] The burst's optical afterglow was first observed from Siding Spring Observatory less than two hours after the burst had been detected.[4] The X-ray afterglow was first detected by RXTE approximately five hours after the burst.[5] The radio afterglow was first detected by the Very Large Array and, at the time of its discovery, was the brightest radio afterglow ever observed.[6] The burst was located at a sky position of R.A. =, Dec. = and had a redshift of z = 0.1685, corresponding to a distance of 587 Mpc.[7]

Supernova relation

GRB 030329's proximity to Earth enabled its afterglow to be studied in great detail. A spectrum taken of the burst's optical afterglow on 6 April 2003 showed peaks at approximately 570 nm and 470 nm. This spectrum was reproduced by combining a power-law distribution with the spectrum from SN 1998bw.[8] These supernova-like features continued to develop in the weeks after the initial burst.[9] Optical observations taken at Kitt Peak National Observatory on indicated that the burst's optical afterglow was brighter than a power-law decay would have predicted, a deviation that could have been explained by additional light from a supernova.[10] On 10 April 2003, NASA announced that GRB 030329 had provided the definitive link between gamma-ray bursts and supernovae.[11] The supernova was later referred to as SN 2003dh.[12]

Notes and References

  1. GRB030329a: detection by Konus-Wind . Frederiks, Dmitry . GCN Circulars . 2026 . 30 March 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..2026....1G .
  2. GRB030329b: detection by Konus-Wind and Helicon-CoronasF . Frederiks, Dmitry . GCN Circulars . 2025 . 30 March 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..2025....1G .
  3. GRB030329 (=H2652): A Long, Extremely Bright GRB Localized by the HETE WXM and SXC . Lamb, Don . GCN Circulars . 1997 . 29 March 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..1997....1V.
  4. GRB 030329: Optical afterglow candidate . Price, Paul . GCN Circulars . 1985 . 29 March 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..1985....1P .
  5. RXTE detection of GRB 030329 afterglow . Marshall, Frank . GCN Circulars . 1996 . 29 March 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..1996....1M .
  6. GRB 030329: Radio Observations . Berger, Edo . GCN Circulars . 2014 . 30 March 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..2014....1B .
  7. Stirring the Embers: High-Sensitivity VLBI Observations of GRB 030329 . Pihlström . Y. L. . Taylor . G. B. . Granot . J. . Doeleman . S. . Astrophysical Journal . 664 . 1 . 411 . 10.1086/518955 . 20 July 2007 . 2007ApJ...664..411P. 0704.2085 . 18115660 .
  8. GRB 030329: Supernova Spectrum Emerging . Stanek, Krzysztof Z. . GCN Circulars . 2107 . 7 April 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..2107....1M.
  9. GRB 030329: Supernova Confirmed . Stanek, Krzysztof Z. . GCN Circulars . 2120 . 8 April 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..2120....1M.
  10. GRB 030329: SARA Optical Observations . Lindsay, Kevin . GCN Circulars . 2143 . 16 April 2003 . 1. 2003GCN..2143....1L.
  11. It's a Supernova! . NASA Science News . 10 April 2003 . 12 July 2017 . 19 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191219212019/https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/10apr_grb/ . dead .
  12. Spectroscopic Discovery of the Supernova 2003dh Associated with GRB0303291 . R. . Krisciunas . K. . Calkins . M. L. . Lee . J. C. . Hathi . N. . Jansen . R. A. . Windhorst . R. . Echevarria . L. . Eisenstein . D. J. . Pindor . B. . Olszewski . E. W. . Harding . P. . Holland . S. T. . Bersier . D. . Schild . W. R. . Brown . P. . Challis . N. . Caldwell . P. . Berlind . P. . Martini . P. M. . Garnavich . T. . Matheson . Stanek, Krzysztof Z. . Astrophysical Journal . 591 . L17 - L20 . 10.1086/376976 . 12 June 2003 . 1 . 2003ApJ...591L..17S. astro-ph/0304173 . 2561943 .

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