Rapid follow-up ROSAT observation of GRB 940301

Abstract

Abstract. The strong γ-ray burst of March 1, 1994 was imaged by COMPTEL and found to have an identical location within the errors as a burst which occurred on July 4, 1993. This location coincidence had prompted speculations on a possible single source origin for both bursts.We have performed a ROSAT PSPC mosaic observation within four weeks of GRB 940301. The results of these observations and the comparison of the intensities of the detected sources with those detected during the ROSAT all-sky-survey in September 1990 are presented. We neither find a flaring X-ray source in the April 1994 observation nor any variability of the X-ray sources detected in the all-sky-survey.We discuss the consequences of our negative result on both, the possibility of the location coincidence being due to a repeating burst source as well as due to two independent sources. In the former case the source could either be a Soft Gamma Repeater similar to SGR 1806-20 and SGR 0525-66, or a sofar unknown classical burst repeater. We conclude that a quiescent luminous X-ray source as is found for the above mentioned Soft Gamma Repeaters is very unlikely to be present in the case of GRB 930704 / GRB 940301.

Discoveries enabled by multiwavelength afterglow observations of gamma-ray bursts

“…ROSAT pointed observations were initiated within 4 weeks of two GRBs, namely GRB 920501 (Li et al, 1996) and 940301, which due to their close locations had been dubbed "COMPTEL repeater" GRB 930704/ 940301 (Greiner et al, 1996). None revealed a fading X-ray counterpart.…”

Rapid ROSAT observations of small gamma-ray burst error boxes

“…Other areas of GRB research with ROSAT can be found elsewhere, such as the investigation of small IPN error boxes using the ROSAT all-sky survey data in Boër et al (1994), a summary of all ROSAT pointings on GRB error boxes and a correlation of GRB locations with serendipituous ROSAT pointings in Greiner (1997). (12) data not yet available during writing.…”