A search for the radio counterpart to the 1994 March 1 gamma-ray burst

D. A. Frail, S. R. Kulkarni, K. C. Hurley, G. J. Fishman, C. Kouveliotou, C. A. Meegan, M. Sommer, M. Boer, M. Niel, T. Cline
1994 Astrophysical Journal  
We report on the results of a search for the radio counterpart to the bright gamma-ray burst of March 1, 1994. 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 GRB940301. 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
more » ... fading/flaring radio counterpart at 1.4 GHz and 55 mJy at 0.4 GHz. Previous searches have concentrated on searching for a counterpart at only one epoch following the outburst. In contrast, the present search maintains high sensitivity over two decades of post-burst time durations. Time-variable radio emission after the initial gamma-ray burst is a prediction of all fireball models, currently the most popular model for gamma-ray bursts. Our observations allow us to put significant constraints on the fireball parameters for cosmological models of gamma-ray bursts.
doi:10.1086/187678 fatcat:jfdc47btefhwhjjglm5kjgezny