NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011A-0383
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011A-0383 |
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PI: Bethany Cobb, The George Washington University, bcobb@gwu.edu
Address: Department of Physics, The George Washington University, Corcoran 105, 725 21st St, NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA, USA
CoI: Nial Tanvir, University of Leicester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
CoI: David Bersier, Liverpool John Moores University
CoI: Joshua Bloom, UC Berkeley (Astronomy)
CoI: Andrew Bunker, Oxford
CoI: Nat Butler, UC Berkeley (Astronomy)
CoI: Brad Cenko, UC Berkeley (Astronomy)
CoI: Hsiao-Wen Chen, University of Chicago
CoI: Antonino Cucchiara, UC Berkeley (Astronomy)
CoI: Andrew Fruchter, Space Telescope Science Institute
CoI: Karl Glazebrook, Swinburne University of Technology
CoI: John Graham, Space Telescope Science Institute
CoI: Jochen Greiner, Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
CoI: Jens Hjorth, NBI: DARK, Copenhagen
CoI: Palle Jakobsson, University of Iceland
CoI: Andrew Levan, University of Warwick
CoI: Sebastian Lopez, Universidad de Chile
CoI: Chris Matzner, University of Toronto
CoI: Adam Morgan, UC Berkeley (Astronomy)
CoI: Paul O'Brien, University of Leicester
CoI: Daniel Perley, UC Berkeley (Astronomy)
CoI: Max Pettini, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
CoI: Jason X Prochaska, UC Santa Cruz
CoI: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, UC Santa Cruz
CoI: Daniel Reichart, University of North Carolina
CoI: James Rhoads, Arizona State University
CoI: Rhaana Starling, University of Leicester,
CoI: Klaas Wiersema, University of Leicester
Title: Exceptional Swift and Fermi GRBs: Gemini South Targets of Opportunity
Abstract:
Swift and Fermi have led a renaissance in the study of GRBs, discovering an
unprecedented number of events and promptly alerting the community to
accurate localizations. However, it is in the follow-up, particularly at
optical/infrared (OIR) wavebands, where the full scientific potential of
these missions is realized. We have recently merged two GRB ToO teams in
order to optimize our GRB science using the OIR instrument suites on both
Gemini telescopes. Our focus is on extreme and rare GRBs that hold the
greatest potential as unique probes of the universe and stellar death: 1)
high-redshift events (z > 6), offering spectroscopic probes of the universe
during reionization, 2) low-redshift events (z < 1), allowing searches for
and detailed studies of accompanying supernovae, 3) Fermi-LAT bursts, which
require redshift measurements in order to constrain theories of quantum
gravity and place limits on the Lorentz factor of the outflow and, (4) short
GRBs, with the goal of constraining their still-mysterious progenitors.
Gemini has emerged as the cornerstone facility of global GRB research and we
will continue to use our proprietary access on smaller facilities and work in
our wide network of collaborators to maximize the return of Gemini
observations.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011A-0383 |
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