Gamma-ray Burst 131117A

(All information courtesy of the instrument teams.)

Previous IAU Circulars

none

Results of Observations

GCN/BACODINE POSITION NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:34:32 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-BAT GRB Position
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:          332.339d {+22h 09m 21s} (J2000),
                 332.539d {+22h 10m 09s} (current),
                 331.618d {+22h 06m 28s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:         -31.722d {-31d 43' 19"} (J2000),
                 -31.654d {-31d 39' 13"} (current),
                 -31.968d {-31d 58' 04"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR:       3.00 [arcmin radius, statistical only]
GRB_INTEN:       3908 [cnts]    Image_Peak=166 [image_cnts]
TRIGGER_DUR:     1.024 [sec] 
TRIGGER_INDEX:   137     E_range: 15-50 keV
BKG_INTEN:       24925 [cnts]
BKG_TIME:        2028.71 SOD {00:33:48.71} UT
BKG_DUR:         8 [sec]
GRB_DATE:        16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
GRB_TIME:        2044.71 SOD {00:34:04.71} UT
GRB_PHI:          48.82 [deg]
GRB_THETA:        16.44 [deg]
SOLN_STATUS:     0x83
RATE_SIGNIF:     11.91 [sigma]
IMAGE_SIGNIF:    6.87 [sigma]
MERIT_PARAMS:     +1  +0  +0  +0  +1  -3  +0  +0  -2  +0 
SUN_POSTN:       232.46d {+15h 29m 51s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 14"}
SUN_DIST:         88.29 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.59d {+03h 02m 22s}  +16.17d {+16d 10' 07"}
MOON_DIST:        84.71 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.54,-54.61 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
ECL_COORDS:      322.82,-18.99 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-BAT GRB Coordinates.  
COMMENTS:        This is a rate trigger.  
COMMENTS:        A point_source was found.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the on-board catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the ground catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This is a GRB.  
COMMENTS:        Since the IMAGE_SIGNIF is less than 7 sigma, this is a questionable detection.  
COMMENTS:        This trigger occurred at longitude,latitude = 258.30,19.61 [deg].

red DSS finding chart ps-file

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:35:17 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-XRT Nack-Position
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.327d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.725d {-31d 43' 29"} (J2000)
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2110.82 SOD {00:35:10.82} UT,   66.1 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
COUNTS:          3    Min_needed= 20
STD_DEV:         0.00   Max_StdDev_for_Good=28.44 [arcsec]
PH2_ITER:        1    Max_iter_allowed= 4
ERROR_CODE:      1
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-XRT Nack Position.  
COMMENTS:        No source found in the image.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:37:37 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-BAT GRB Lightcurve
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:          332.339d {+22h 09m 21s} (J2000),
                 332.539d {+22h 10m 09s} (current),
                 331.618d {+22h 06m 28s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:         -31.722d {-31d 43' 19"} (J2000),
                 -31.654d {-31d 39' 13"} (current),
                 -31.968d {-31d 58' 04"} (1950)
GRB_DATE:        16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
GRB_TIME:        2044.71 SOD {00:34:04.71} UT
TRIGGER_INDEX:   137
GRB_PHI:          48.82 [deg]
GRB_THETA:        16.44 [deg]
DELTA_TIME:      0.00 [sec]
TRIGGER_DUR:     1.024 [sec] 
SOLN_STATUS:     0x83
RATE_SIGNIF:     11.91 [sigma]
IMAGE_SIGNIF:    6.87 [sigma]
LC_URL:          sw00577968000msb.lc
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 52s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 16"}
SUN_DIST:         88.29 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.62d {+03h 02m 29s}  +16.17d {+16d 10' 26"}
MOON_DIST:        84.74 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.54,-54.61 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
ECL_COORDS:      322.82,-18.99 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-BAT GRB Lightcurve.  
COMMENTS:           
COMMENTS:        The next comments were copied from the BAT_POS Notice:  
COMMENTS:        This is a rate trigger.  
COMMENTS:        A point_source was found.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the on-board catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the ground catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This is a GRB.  
COMMENTS:        Since the IMAGE_SIGNIF is less than 7 sigma, this is a questionable detection.  
COMMENTS:        This trigger occurred at longitude,latitude = 258.30,19.61 [deg].

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:38:09 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.327d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.725d {-31d 43' 29"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      248.774d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2114.27 SOD {00:35:14.27} UT,   69.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
BKG_MEAN:        2.846
N_STARS:         30
X_OFFSET:        398 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        605 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1357 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1564 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      14
PHOTO_THRESH:    7
SL_URL:          sw00577968000msufc0069.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 52s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 16"}
SUN_DIST:         88.28 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.62d {+03h 02m 30s}  +16.17d {+16d 10' 29"}
MOON_DIST:        84.75 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.98 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Source List.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:38:37 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.327d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.725d {-31d 43' 29"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      248.774d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2114.27 SOD {00:35:14.27} UT,   69.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
BKG_MEAN:        2.846
N_STARS:         30
X_OFFSET:        398 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        605 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1357 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1564 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      14
PHOTO_THRESH:    7
SL_URL:          sw00577968000msufc0069.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 52s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 16"}
SUN_DIST:         88.28 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.63d {+03h 02m 31s}  +16.18d {+16d 10' 32"}
MOON_DIST:        84.75 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.98 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Source List.  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:39:15 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-XRT Position
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:          332.3311d {+22h 09m 19.46s} (J2000),
                 332.5310d {+22h 10m 07.44s} (current),
                 331.6092d {+22h 06m 26.20s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:         -31.7605d {-31d 45' 37.8"} (J2000),
                 -31.6920d {-31d 41' 31.2"} (current),
                 -32.0063d {-32d 00' 22.5"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR:       3.9 [arcsec radius, statistical plus systematic, 90% containment]
GRB_INTEN:       1.00e-10 [erg/cm2/sec]
GRB_SIGNIF:      10.00 [sigma]
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2135.00 SOD {00:35:35.00} UT,   90.3 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
TAM[0-3]:        100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
AMPLIFIER:       1
WAVEFORM:        31
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 52s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 17"}
SUN_DIST:         88.27 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.63d {+03h 02m 32s}  +16.18d {+16d 10' 36"}
MOON_DIST:        84.77 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.47,-54.61 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst
ECL_COORDS:      322.80,-19.02 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-XRT Coordinates.  
COMMENTS:        This Notice was ground-generated -- not flight-generated.  
COMMENTS:        TAM values, flux and significance fields are not valid.  
COMMENTS:        This position was automatically generated on the ground using  
COMMENTS:        Photon Counting data telemetered via TDRSS (SPER data).  
COMMENTS:        See http://www.swift.ac.uk/sper/docs.php for details.  
COMMENTS:        The probability that this is a serendipitous source in the  
COMMENTS:        SPER window is 0.58% < P(seren) < 1.1%.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:39:47 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.327d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.725d {-31d 43' 29"} (J2000)
ROLL:            248.774d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2114.27 SOD {00:35:14.27} UT,   69.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
EXPOSURE_ID:     406341325
X_OFFSET:        717 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        924 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       877
Y_GRB_POS:       1084
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00577968000msuni0081.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 52s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 17"}
SUN_DIST:         88.28 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.64d {+03h 02m 33s}  +16.18d {+16d 10' 39"}
MOON_DIST:        84.76 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.98 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:40:14 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.327d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.725d {-31d 43' 29"} (J2000)
ROLL:            248.774d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2114.27 SOD {00:35:14.27} UT,   69.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
EXPOSURE_ID:     406341325
X_OFFSET:        717 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        924 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       877
Y_GRB_POS:       1084
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00577968000msuni0081.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 52s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 17"}
SUN_DIST:         88.28 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.64d {+03h 02m 34s}  +16.18d {+16d 10' 42"}
MOON_DIST:        84.77 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.98 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN Circular #15490
M. J. Page (UCL-MSSL), S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC), D. N. Burrows (PSU), N. Gehrels (NASA/GSFC), J. A. Kennea (PSU), N. P. M. Kuin (UCL-MSSL), F. E. Marshall (NASA/GSFC), C. J. Mountford (U Leicester), K. L. Page (U Leicester), D. M. Palmer (LANL) and C. A. Swenson (PSU) report on behalf of the Swift Team:
At 00:34:04 UT, the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) triggered and located GRB 131117A (trigger=577968). Swift slewed immediately to the burst. The BAT on-board calculated location is RA, Dec 332.339, -31.722 which is
```
   RA(J2000) = 22h 09m 21s
   Dec(J2000) = -31d 43' 19"
```
with an uncertainty of 3 arcmin (radius, 90% containment, including systematic uncertainty). The BAT light curve showed a complex structure with a duration of about 20 sec. The peak count rate was ~1750 counts/sec (15-350 keV), at ~4 sec after the trigger.
The XRT began observing the field at 00:35:10.8 UT, 66.1 seconds after the BAT trigger. Using promptly downlinked data we find a fading, uncatalogued X-ray source located at RA, Dec 332.33119, -31.76055 which is equivalent to:
```
   RA(J2000)  = 22h 09m 19.49s
   Dec(J2000) = -31d 45' 38.0"
```
with an uncertainty of 3.9 arcseconds (radius, 90% containment). This location is 140 arcseconds from the BAT onboard position, within the BAT error circle. This position may be improved as more data are received; the latest position is available at http://www.swift.ac.uk/sper.
A power-law fit to a spectrum formed from promptly downlinked event data gives a column density consistent with the Galactic value of 1.41 x 10^20 cm^-2 (Kalberla et al. 2005).
UVOT took a finding chart exposure of 150 seconds with the White filter starting 69 seconds after the BAT trigger. No credible afterglow candidate has been found in the initial data products. The 2.7'x2.7' sub-image covers none of the XRT error circle. The 8'x8' region for the list of sources generated on-board covers 100% of the XRT error circle. The list of sources is typically complete to about 18 mag. No correction has been made for the expected extinction corresponding to E(B-V) of 0.02.
Burst Advocate for this burst is M. J. Page (m.page AT ucl.ac.uk). Please contact the BA by email if you require additional information regarding Swift followup of this burst. In extremely urgent cases, after trying the Burst Advocate, you can contact the Swift PI by phone (see Swift TOO web site for information: http://www.swift.psu.edu/too.html.)

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:45:51 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.325d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.728d {-31d 43' 39"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      248.773d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2326.28 SOD {00:38:46.28} UT,   281.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
BKG_MEAN:        0.828
N_STARS:         69
X_OFFSET:        158 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        365 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1597 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1804 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      8
PHOTO_THRESH:    4
SL_URL:          sw00577968000msufc0281.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 53s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 21"}
SUN_DIST:         88.27 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.69d {+03h 02m 46s}  +16.19d {+16d 11' 15"}
MOON_DIST:        84.81 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.99 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Source List.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:46:09 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.325d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.728d {-31d 43' 39"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      248.773d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2326.28 SOD {00:38:46.28} UT,   281.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
BKG_MEAN:        0.828
N_STARS:         69
X_OFFSET:        158 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        365 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1597 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1804 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      8
PHOTO_THRESH:    4
SL_URL:          sw00577968000msufc0281.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 53s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 21"}
SUN_DIST:         88.27 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.70d {+03h 02m 47s}  +16.19d {+16d 11' 17"}
MOON_DIST:        84.82 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.99 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Source List.  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:47:17 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.325d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.728d {-31d 43' 39"} (J2000)
ROLL:            248.773d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2326.28 SOD {00:38:46.28} UT,   281.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
EXPOSURE_ID:     406341537
X_OFFSET:        717 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        924 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       877
Y_GRB_POS:       1084
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00577968000msuni0293.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 53s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 22"}
SUN_DIST:         88.27 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.71d {+03h 02m 49s}  +16.19d {+16d 11' 24"}
MOON_DIST:        84.83 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.99 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:46:48 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-XRT Position UPDATE
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:          332.3310d {+22h 09m 19.44s} (J2000),
                 332.5309d {+22h 10m 07.41s} (current),
                 331.6091d {+22h 06m 26.18s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:         -31.7622d {-31d 45' 43.9"} (J2000),
                 -31.6937d {-31d 41' 37.3"} (current),
                 -32.0079d {-32d 00' 28.6"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR:       2.2 [arcsec radius, statistical plus systematic, 90% containment]
GRB_INTEN:       1.00e-10 [erg/cm2/sec]
GRB_SIGNIF:      10.00 [sigma]
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2135.00 SOD {00:35:35.00} UT,   90.3 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
TAM[0-3]:        100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
AMPLIFIER:       1
WAVEFORM:        31
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 53s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 21"}
SUN_DIST:         88.27 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.70d {+03h 02m 48s}  +16.19d {+16d 11' 21"}
MOON_DIST:        84.83 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.47,-54.61 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst
ECL_COORDS:      322.80,-19.02 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-XRT Coordinates.  
COMMENTS:        This Notice was ground-generated -- not flight-generated.  
COMMENTS:        This is an Update Notice -- the RA,Dec values herein supersede the previous XRT_POS Notice.  
COMMENTS:        TAM values, flux and significance fields are not valid.  
COMMENTS:        This position was automatically generated on the ground using  
COMMENTS:        Photon Counting data telemetered via TDRSS (SPER data).  
COMMENTS:        See http://www.swift.ac.uk/sper/docs.php for details.  
COMMENTS:        This position was enhanced using UVOT field astrometry.  
COMMENTS:        The probability that this is a serendipitous source in the  
COMMENTS:        SPER window is 0.58% < P(seren) < 1.1%.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Sun 17 Nov 13 00:47:34 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     577968,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:        332.325d {+22h 09m 18s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:       -31.728d {-31d 43' 39"} (J2000)
ROLL:            248.773d
IMG_START_DATE:  16613 TJD;   321 DOY;   13/11/17
IMG_START_TIME:  2326.28 SOD {00:38:46.28} UT,   281.6 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
EXPOSURE_ID:     406341537
X_OFFSET:        717 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        924 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       877
Y_GRB_POS:       1084
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00577968000msuni0293.fits
SUN_POSTN:       232.47d {+15h 29m 53s}  -18.97d {-18d 58' 22"}
SUN_DIST:         88.27 [deg]   Sun_angle= -6.7 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:       45.71d {+03h 02m 50s}  +16.19d {+16d 11' 25"}
MOON_DIST:        84.83 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      100 [%]
GAL_COORDS:       15.53,-54.60 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:      322.81,-18.99 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN Circular #15491
A.Trotter, D. Reichart, J. Haislip, N. Frank, A. LaCluyze, J. Moore, T. Berger, H. T. Cromartie, R. Egger, A. Foster, K. Ivarsen, M. Maples, M. Nysewander, and J. A. Crain report:
Skynet observed the Swift/XRT localization of GRB 131117A (Page et al., GCN 15490, Swift trigger 577968) with four 14" telescopes of the PROMPT array at Cerro Tololo, Chile, beginning 91s after the trigger, simultaneously in the BVRI bands. We detect a fading optical source in V, R and I bands at:
```
RA 22:09:19.3
Dec -31:45:44.4 (J2000.0)
```
which is within the error circle reported by the Swift XRT. The afterglow fades from R~17.2 at t=1.5min to R~19.7 at t=24min.
Photometry is calibrated to six APASS-DR7 stars in the field, and has not been corrected for Galactic foreground extinction.
A preliminary light curve is at: http://skynet.unc.edu/grb/grb131117a.png
Skynet observations are ongoing.
GCN Circular #15492
A.P. Beardmore, P.A. Evans, M.R. Goad and J.P. Osborne (U. Leicester) report on behalf of the Swift-XRT team.
Using 599 s of XRT Photon Counting mode data and 1 UVOT images for GRB 131117A, we find an astrometrically corrected X-ray position (using the XRT-UVOT alignment and matching UVOT field sources to the USNO-B1 catalogue): RA, Dec = 332.33113, -31.76237 which is equivalent to:
```
RA (J2000): 22h 09m 19.47s
Dec (J2000): -31d 45' 44.5"
```
with an uncertainty of 1.8 arcsec (radius, 90% confidence).
This position may be improved as more data are received. The latest position can be viewed at http://www.swift.ac.uk/xrt_positions. Position enhancement is described by Goad et al. (2007, A&A, 476, 1401) and Evans et al. (2009, MNRAS, 397, 1177).
This circular was automatically generated, and is an official product of the Swift-XRT team.
GCN Circular #15493
GRB 131117A: GROND confirmation of the afterglow and photo-z.
M. Tanga (MPE Garching), S. Schmidl, S. Klose (both TLS Tautenburg), K. Varela (MPE Garching) and J.Greiner (MPE Garching) report on behalf of the GROND team:
We observed the field of GRB 131117A (Swift trigger 577968, Page et al., GCN 15490) simultaneously in g'r'i'z'JHK with GROND (Greiner et al. 2008, PASP 120, 405) mounted at the 2.2m MPG telescope at ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile).
Observations started on November 17, 2013, at 00:36:34 UT, 150 s after the GRB trigger. They were performed at an average seeing of 1".0 and at an average airmass of 1.2 .
We detect the fading afterglow discovered by Trotter et al. (GCN 15491).
Based on a total exposure time of 460 s in g'r'i'z' and 480 s in JHK, at a midtime of 0.80 hrs after the burst, we measure the following preliminary AB magnitudes:
```
g' = 20.9 +/- 0.1,
r' = 19.6 +/- 0.1,
i' = 19.1 +/- 0.1,
z' = 19.0 +/- 0.1,
J =  19.0 +/- 0.1,
H =  18.9 +/- 0.1 and
K =  18.7 +/- 0.3.
```
Given magnitudes are calibrated against GROND zeropoints as well as 2MASS field stars and are not corrected for the expected Galactic foreground reddening of E(B-V) = 0.02 mag in the direction of the burst (Schlegel et al. 1998).
On the basis of the preliminary analysis we estimate the photometric redshift to be z = 4.18 +/-0.16.
GCN Circular #15494
O. E. Hartoog (U. Amsterdam), D. Xu (DARK/NBI), D. Malesani (DARK/NBI), N. R. Tanvir (U. Leicester), J. P. U. Fynbo (DARK/NBI), L. Kaper (U. Amsterdam) and V. D'Elia (ASI/ASDC) report:
We observed the afterglow of GRB 131117A (Page et al. GCN 15490, Trotter et al. GCN 15491, Tanga et al. GCN 15493) with the VLT X-shooter spectrograph covering a spectral range 3200A to 18000A. Poor conditions meant that observations could not start until 01:42 UT, 68 minutes post-burst.
The continuum level is faint, but we see a strong break corresponding to Ly-alpha at a redshift of z=4.042. This is supported by the detection of absorption lines corresponding to SiII 1259/1260, SiIV 1393/1402 and SiII 1526. There is also a clear Ly-a forest blueward of the break. We therefore propose this as the redshift of the GRB, noting it is consistent with the photometric redshift of Tanga et al. (GCN15493).
We thank the staff at Paranal, particularly Christophe Martayan, for their support in obtaining these observations.
GCN Circular #15495
V. Mangano (PSU), C. Pagani (U. Leicester), A.P. Beardmore (U. Leicester), P.A. Evans (U. Leicester), V. D'Elia (ASDC), A. Maselli (INAF-IASFPA), A. Melandri (INAF-OAB), M.C. Stroh (PSU), D.N. Burrows (PSU) and M.J. Page report on behalf of the Swift-XRT team:
We have analysed 7.2 ks of XRT data for GRB 131117A (Page et al. GCN Circ. 15490), from 51 s to 34.0 ks after the BAT trigger. The data comprise 82 s in Windowed Timing (WT) mode (the first 8 s were taken while Swift was slewing) with the remainder in Photon Counting (PC) mode. The enhanced XRT position for this burst was given by Beardmore et al. (GCN. Circ 15492).
The late-time light curve (from T0+4.1 ks) can be modelled with a power-law decay with a decay index of alpha=0.88 (+0.23, -0.20).
A spectrum formed from the WT mode data can be fitted with an absorbed power-law with a photon spectral index of 3.03 (+0.31, -0.28). The best-fitting absorption column is 2.0 (+0.6, -0.5) x 10^21 cm^-2, in excess of the Galactic value of 1.4 x 10^20 cm^-2 (Kalberla et al. 2005). The PC mode spectrum has a photon index of 2.27 (+0.28, -0.26) and a best-fitting absorption column of 5.9 (+5.2, -4.5) x 10^20 cm^-2. The counts to observed (unabsorbed) 0.3-10 keV flux conversion factor deduced from this spectrum is 3.2 x 10^-11 (4.0 x 10^-11) erg cm^-2 count^-1.
A summary of the PC-mode spectrum is thus:
```
Total column:	     5.9 (+5.2, -4.5) x 10^20 cm^-2
Galactic foreground: 1.4 x 10^20 cm^-2
Excess significance: <1.6 sigma
Photon index:	     2.27 (+0.28, -0.26)
```
If the light curve continues to decay with a power-law decay index of 0.88, the count rate at T+24 hours will be 4.2 x 10^-3 count s^-1, corresponding to an observed (unabsorbed) 0.3-10 keV flux of 1.3 x 10^-13 (1.7 x 10^-13) erg cm^-2 s^-1.
The results of the XRT-team automatic analysis are available at http://www.swift.ac.uk/xrt_products/00577968.
This circular is an official product of the Swift-XRT team.
GCN Circular #15496
A. A. Breeveld (UCL-MSSL) and M. J. Page (UCL-MSSL) report on behalf of the Swift/UVOT team:
The Swift/UVOT began settled observations of the field of GRB 131117A 70s after the BAT trigger (Page et al., GCN Circ. 15490). A fading source consistent with the afterglow position found by Trotter et al. (GCN Circ. 15491) is found in the white filter only. This is consistent with the redshift of z=3D4.042 given by Hartoog et al. (GCN Circ. 15494).
The preliminary UVOT position is:
```
     RA  (J2000) =3D  22:09:19.36 =3D 332.33067 (deg.)
     Dec (J2000) =3D -31:45:44.3  =3D -31.76231 (deg.)
```
with an estimated uncertainty of 0.64 arc sec. (radius, 90% confidence).
Preliminary detections and 3-sigma upper limits using the UVOT=20 photometric system (Breeveld et al. 2011, AIP Conf. Proc. 1358, 373) for the early exposures are:
```
Filter         T_start(s)   T_stop(s)      Exp(s)           Mag

white               70          219          147         20.13 =B1 0.17
v                  611         5157          216        >20.0
b                  537         4542          216        >20.6
u                  282         4336          442        >20.7
w1                 660         5567          216        >20.4
m2                 636         5362          216        >20.0
w2                 587         4952          216        >20.5
```
The magnitudes in the table are not corrected for the Galactic extinction due to the reddening of E(B-V) =3D 0.02 in the direction of the burst (Schlegel et al. 1998).
GCN Circular #15497
Klotz A., Turpin D. (IRAP-CNRS-OMP), Gendre B., Boer M., Siellez K., Dereli H., Bardho O. (UNS-CNRS-OCA), Atteia J.L. (IRAP-CNRS-OMP) report:
We imaged the field of GRB 131117 detected by SWIFT (trigger 577968) with the TAROT robotic telescope (D=25cm) located at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla observatory, Chile.
The observations started 40s after the GRB trigger (14s after the notice). The elevation of the field decreased from 71 degrees above horizon and weather conditions were good.
The first image is trailed with a duration of 60.0s (see the description in Klotz et al., 2006, A&A 451, L39). We detect the OT discovered by Trotter et al. (GCNC 15491) and confirmed by Tanga et al. (GCNC 15493). The OT is seen at a constant level considering the 2 sigma error of +/- 0.5 mag.
```
t0+40s to t0+46s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+46s to t0+52s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+52s to t0+58s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+58s to t0+64s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+64s to t0+70s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+70s to t0+76s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+76s to t0+82s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+82s to t0+88s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+88s to t0+94s  R=17.0 +/-0.5
t0+94s to t0+100s R=17.0 +/-0.5
```
Then series of image acquired in tracking mode shows the decay of the OT:
```
t0+113s to t0+173s   R=17.2  +/-0.1
t0+194s to t0+464s   R=18.8  +/-0.2
t0+630s to t0+1080s  R=19.0  +/-0.2
t0+1472s to t0+2192s R=19.1  +/-0.2
t0+2524s to t0+4324s Rlim=20.0
```
Magnitudes were estimated with the nearby NOMAD1 stars and are not corrected for galactic dust extinction.
GCN Circular #15499
H. A. Krimm (GSFC/USRA), S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC), W. H. Baumgartner (GSFC/UMBC), J. R. Cummings (GSFC/UMBC), N. Gehrels (GSFC), A. Y. Lien (NASA/UMBC), C. B. Markwardt (GSFC), M. J. Page (UCL-MSSL) D. M. Palmer (LANL), T. Sakamoto (AGU), M. Stamatikos (OSU), J. Tueller (GSFC), T. N. Ukwatta (MSU) (i.e. the Swift-BAT team):
Using the data set from T-60 to T+243 sec from the recent telemetry downlink, we report further analysis of BAT GRB 131117A (trigger #577968) (Page, et al., GCN Circ. 15490). The BAT ground-calculated position is RA, Dec = 332.354, -31.761 deg which is
```
  RA(J2000)  =  22h 09m 25.0s
  Dec(J2000) = -31d 45' 38.8"
```
with an uncertainty of 1.8 arcmin, (radius, sys+stat, 90% containment). The partial coding was 85%.
The mask-weighted light curve shows a single peak structure starts at ~T-1 sec and ends at ~T+12 sec. T90 (15-350 keV) is 11.00 +- 3.16 sec (estimated error including systematics).
The time-averaged spectrum from T-1.00 to T+12.00 sec is best fit by a power law with an exponential cutoff. This fit gives a photon index -0.40 +- 1.41, and Epeak of 44.0 +- 7.4 keV (chi squared 45.16 for 56 d.o.f.). For this model the total fluence in the 15-150 keV band is 2.5 +- 0.4 x 10^-7 erg/cm2 and the 1-sec peak flux measured from T+0.00 sec in the 15-150 keV band is 0.7 +- 0.1 ph/cm2/sec. A fit to a simple power law gives a photon index of 1.79 +- 0.18 (chi squared 58.98 for 57 d.o.f.). All the quoted errors are at the 90% confidence level.
The results of the batgrbproduct analysis are available at http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/notices_s/577968/BA/
GCN Circular #15500
H. A. Krimm (GSFC/USRA), S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC), W. H. Baumgartner (GSFC/UMBC), J. R. Cummings (GSFC/UMBC), N. Gehrels (GSFC), A. Y. Lien (NASA/UMBC), C. B. Markwardt (GSFC), M. J. Page (UCL-MSSL) D. M. Palmer (LANL), T. Sakamoto (AGU), M. Stamatikos (OSU), J. Tueller (GSFC), T. N. Ukwatta (MSU) (i.e. the Swift-BAT team):
Using the data set from T-60 to T+243 sec from the recent telemetry downlink, we report further analysis of BAT GRB 131117A (trigger #577968) (Page, et al., GCN Circ. 15490). The BAT ground-calculated position is RA, Dec = 332.354, -31.761 deg which is
```
  RA(J2000)  =  22h 09m 25.0s
  Dec(J2000) = -31d 45' 38.8"
```
with an uncertainty of 1.8 arcmin, (radius, sys+stat, 90% containment). The partial coding was 85%.
The mask-weighted light curve shows a single peak structure starts at ~T-1 sec and ends at ~T+12 sec. T90 (15-350 keV) is 11.00 +- 3.16 sec (estimated error including systematics).
The time-averaged spectrum from T-1.00 to T+12.00 sec is best fit by a power law with an exponential cutoff. This fit gives a photon index -0.40 +- 1.41, and Epeak of 44.0 +- 7.4 keV (chi squared 45.16 for 56 d.o.f.). For this model the total fluence in the 15-150 keV band is 2.5 +- 0.4 x 10^-7 erg/cm2 and the 1-sec peak flux measured from T+0.00 sec in the 15-150 keV band is 0.7 +- 0.1 ph/cm2/sec. A fit to a simple power law gives a photon index of 1.79 +- 0.18 (chi squared 58.98 for 57 d.o.f.). All the quoted errors are at the 90% confidence level.
The results of the batgrbproduct analysis are available at http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/notices_s/577968/BA/

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Jochen Greiner, last update: 17-Nov-2013 [Disclaimer]