Swift UVOT Observations of X‐Ray Flash 050406

  • Schady P
  • Mason K
  • Osborne J
  • et al.
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Abstract

We present Swift-UVOT data on the optical afterglow of the X-ray flash of 2005 April 6 (XRF 050406) from 88s to \sim 10^5s after the initial prompt gamma-ray emission. Our observations in the V, B and U bands are the earliest that have been taken of an XRF optical counterpart. Combining the early -time optical temporal and spectral properties with \gamma- and simultaneous X-ray data taken with the BAT and XRT telescopes on-board Swift, we are able to constrain possible origins of the XRF. The prompt emission had a FRED profile (fast-rise, exponential decay) with a duration of T_90 = 5.7\pm 0.2s, putting it at the short end of the long-burst duration distribution. The absence of photoelectric absorption red-ward of 4000 \AA in the UV/optical spectrum provides a firm upper limit of z\leq 3.1 on the redshift, thus excluding a high redshift as the sole reason for the soft spectrum. The optical light curve is consistent with a power-law decay with slope alpha = -0.75\pm 0.26 (F_{u}\propto t^{\alpha}), and a maximum occurring in the first 200s after the initial gamma-ray emission. The softness of the prompt emission is well described by an off-axis structured jet model, which is able to account for the early peak flux and shallow decay observed in the optical and X-ray bands.

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Schady, P., Mason, K. O., Osborne, J. P., Page, M. J., Roming, P. W. A., Still, M., … Nousek, J. A. (2006). Swift UVOT Observations of X‐Ray Flash 050406. The Astrophysical Journal, 643(1), 276–283. https://doi.org/10.1086/501449

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