The Swift mission, scheduled for launch in 2004, is a multiwavelength observatory for gamma-ray burst (GRB) astronomy. It is a first-of-its-kind autonomous rapid-slewing satellite for transient astronomy and pioneers the way for future rapid-reaction and multiwavelength missions. It will be far more powerful than any previous GRB mission, observing more than 100 bursts yr À1 and performing detailed X-ray and UV/optical afterglow observations spanning timescales from 1 minute to several days after the burst. The objectives are to (1) determine the origin of GRBs, (2) classify GRBs and search for new types, (3) study the interaction of the ultrarelativistic outflows of GRBs with their surrounding medium, and (4) use GRBs to study the early universe out to z > 10. The mission is being developed by a NASA-led international collaboration. It will carry three instruments: a newgeneration wide-field gamma-ray (15-150 keV ) detector that will detect bursts, calculate 1 0 -4 0 positions, and trigger autonomous spacecraft slews; a narrow-field X-ray telescope that will give 5 00 positions and perform spectroscopy in the 0.2-10 keV band; and a narrow-field UV/optical telescope that will operate in the 170-600 nm band and provide 0B3 positions and optical finding charts. Redshift determinations will be made for most bursts. In addition to the primary GRB science, the mission will perform a hard X-ray survey to a sensitivity of $1 mcrab ($2 ; 10 À11 ergs cm À2 s À1 in the 15-150 keV band ), more than an order of magnitude better than HEAO 1 A-4. A flexible data and operations system will allow rapid follow-up observations of all types of high-energy transients, with rapid data downlink and uplink available through the NASA TDRSS system. Swift transient data will be rapidly distributed to the astronomical community, and all interested observers are encouraged to participate in follow-up measurements. A Guest Investigator program for the mission will provide funding for community involvement. Innovations from the Swift program applicable to the future include (1) a large-area gamma-ray detector using the new CdZnTe detectors, (2) an autonomous rapid-slewing spacecraft, (3) a multiwavelength payload combining optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray instruments, (4) an observing program coordinated with other ground-based and space-based observatories, and (5) immediate multiwavelength data flow to the community. The mission is currently funded for 2 yr of operations, and the spacecraft will have a lifetime to orbital decay of $8 yr.
The UV/Optical Telescope (UVOT) is one of three instruments flying aboard the Swift Gamma-ray Observatory. It is designed to capture the early (~1 minute) UV and optical photons from the afterglow of gamma-ray bursts in the 170-600 nm band as well as long term observations of these afterglows. This is accomplished through the use of UV and optical broadband filters and grisms. The UVOT has a modified Ritchey-Chrétien design with micro-channel plate intensified charged-coupled device detectors that record the arrival time of individual photons and provide subarcsecond positioning of sources. We discuss some of the science to be pursued by the UVOT and the overall design of the instrument.
We present the photometric calibration of the Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) which includes: optimum photometric and background apertures, effective area curves, colour transformations, conversion factors for count rates to flux and the photometric zero-points (which are accurate to better than 4 per cent) for each of the seven UVOT broad-band filters. The calibration was performed with observations of standard stars and standard star fields that represent a wide range of spectral star types. The calibration results include the position-dependent uniformity, and instrument response over the 1600-8000 Å operational range. Because the UVOT is a photon-counting instrument, we also discuss the effect of coincidence loss on the calibration results. We provide practical guidelines for using the calibration in UVOT data analysis. The results presented here supersede previous calibration results.
From R-band images of 42 Hickson compact groups, we present a sample of 47 candidate dwarf galaxies that are associated with the tidal tails and arms in the groups. The candidates, found in 15 tidal features, have R magnitudes and masses (for M=L = 1) in the ranges 16:5 M R 5 log h 75 11:5 and 2 10 6 M M 2 10 8 M , respectively. Their masses and locations are compared to the predictions of theoretical/N-body tidal dwarf formation scenarios. Considering the longevity of tidal debris in the compact group environment and the results of this survey, we estimate the contribution of the tidal dwarf formation mechanism to the population of dwarf galaxies observed at large in compact groups. If the majority of our dwarf galaxy candidates are con rmed as being gravitationally bound stellar systems, then a signi cant fraction, perhaps as much as one-half, of the dwarf population in compact groups is the product of interactions among giant parent galaxies.
Using V and I images obtained with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) of the Hubble Space Telescope, we investigate compact stellar structures within tidal tails. Six regions of tidal debris in the four classic "Toomre Sequence" mergers: NGC 4038/39 ("Antennae"), NGC 3256, NGC 3921, and NGC 7252 ("Atoms for Peace") have been studied in order to explore how the star formation depends upon the local and global physical conditions. These mergers sample a range of stages in the evolutionary sequence and tails with and without embedded tidal dwarf galaxies. The six tails are found to contain a variety of stellar structures, with sizes ranging from those of globular clusters up to those of dwarf galaxies. From V and I WFPC2 images, we measure the luminosities and colors of the star clusters. NGC 3256 is found to have a large population of blue clusters (0.2 V − I 0.9), particularly in its Western tail, similar to those found in the inner region of the merger. In contrast, NGC 4038/39 has no clusters in the observed region of the tail, only less luminous point sources likely to be individual stars. NGC 3921 and NGC 7252 have small populations of clusters along their tails. A significant cluster population
Analysis of Hubble Space T elescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 images of StephanÏs Quintet, Hickson Compact Group 92, yielded 115 candidate star clusters (with V [I \ 1.5). Unlike in merger remnants, the cluster candidates in StephanÏs Quintet are not clustered in the inner regions of the galaxies ; they are spread over the debris and surrounding area. SpeciÐcally, these sources are located in the long sweeping tail and spiral arms of NGC 7319, in the tidal debris of NGC 7318B/A, and in the intragroup starburst region north of these galaxies. Analysis of the colors of the clusters indicate several distinct epochs of star formation that appear to trace the complex history of dynamical interactions in this compact group.
We present the first Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) gammaray burst (GRB) afterglow catalog. The catalog contains data from over 64, 000 independent UVOT image observations of 229 GRBs first detected by Swift, the High Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE2), the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), and the Interplanetary Network (IPN). The catalog covers GRBs occurring during the period from 2005 Jan 17 to 2007 Jun 16 and includes ∼ 86% of the bursts detected by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). The catalog provides detailed burst positional, temporal, and photometric information extracted from each of the UVOT images. Positions for bursts detected at the 3σ-level are provided with a nominal accuracy, relative to the USNO-B1 catalog, of ∼ 0. ′′ 25. Photometry for each burst is given in three UV bands, three optical bands, and a 'white' or open filter. Upper limits for magnitudes are reported for sources detected below 3σ. General properties of the burst sample and light curves, including the filter-dependent temporal slopes, are also provided. The majority of the UVOT light curves, for bursts detected at
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