Gamma-ray Burst 000301A

On March 1, 2000, 02:33:55 UT Earth-crossing time, a GRB was detected by Ulysses, BATSE (#8005), NEAR, Konus, and the BeppoSAX GRBM.

(All information courtesy of the instrument teams.)

Previous IAU Circulars

• none

• GCN notice #567
  K. Hurley, S. Barthelmy, T. Cline, E. Mazets, and M. Feroci, report:
  Ulysses, BATSE, NEAR, Konus, and the BeppoSAX GRBM observed this burst (BATSE #8005). Its Earth-crossing time was 02:33:55 UT. Its duration was ~6 s, and its 25-100 keV fluence was ~2 x 10^-6 erg/cm2. Preliminary triangulation gives an ~35 sq. arcmin. error box whose center and corners (3 sigma) are at:

      RA(2000)                 DEC(2000)
   23 h 39 m 27.12 s     75 o 47 '  12.86 "  (CENTER)
   23 h 38 m 13.41 s     75 o 53 '  21.64 "  (CORNER)
   23 h 39 m 55.29 s     75 o 48 '  43.78 "  (CORNER)
   23 h 38 m 59.05 s     75 o 45 '  41.71 "  (CORNER)
   23 h 40 m 40.21 s     75 o 40 '  59.86 "  (CORNER)
  

  This error box can be refined considerably.
• GCN notice #569
  E. Rol (Univ. of Amsterdam), R. Strom (NFRA, UoA), P. Vreeswijk (UoA), C. Kouveliotou (USRA, NASA/MSFC), L. Kaper (UoA) report, on behalf of a larger collaboration:
  We have observed the IPN error box of the GRB000301A (GCN #567) at 4.9 GHz with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. We obtained a 6 hour observation, centered at March 2.64 UT. Within the error box, we detect only one source, at a flux level of 0.37 +- 0.055 mJy. The position of the source is (J2000):

          RA      23:39:47
          Decl    75:46:15
  

  with a conservative error of 2 arcseconds.
  At this point, we do not claim that this is the radio counterpart to GRB000301A. We are currently trying to find a catalogue for this wavelength to compare with. Observations of the error box will continue with the WSRT.
• GCN notice #574
  D. A. Frail and G. B. Taylor (NRAO) report:
  We imaged the IPN error box of GRB000301A (GCN #567) with the VLA at frequencies of 4.86 GHz and 8.46 GHz, starting on March 3.86 UT. The radio source reported by Rol et al. (GCN #569) is visible. We obtain an improved position of (J2000) r.a.= 23 39 47.51 (+/-0.05), dec. = +75 46 14.5 (+/-0.2). The VLA flux density at 4.86 GHz is 408+/-61 microJy, consistent with that measured at WSRT 30 hrs earlier. The 8.46 GHz flux density is 432+/-68 microJy, and indicates a flat spectrum. A search of the NRAO All Sky Survey (NVSS; Condon et al. 1998, AJ, 115, 1693) shows that the VLA observed in this direction at a frequency of 1.4 GHz on 1993 October 20. At the position of the radio source there is a weak (2.5-sigma) NVSS source with a flux density of 1.1+/-0.45 milliJy.
  The absence of significant variability, the flat spectrum and the possible identification of a NVSS source at this position, makes it unlikely that the radio source is related to GRB 000301A.