Physics Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-10-2014
Disciplines
Astrophysics and Astronomy | Instrumentation | Physics | Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy
Abstract
We present the optical luminosity function (LF) of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) estimated from a uniform sample of 58 GRBs from observations with the Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment III (ROTSE-III). Our GRB sample is divided into two sub-samples: detected afterglows (18 GRBs) and those with upper limits (40 GRBs). We derive R-band fluxes for these two sub-samples 100 s after the onset of the burst. The optical LFs at 100 s are fitted by assuming that the co-moving GRB rate traces the star formation rate. While fitting the optical LFs using Monte Carlo simulations, we take into account the detection function of ROTSE-III. We find that the cumulative distribution of optical emission at 100 s is well described by an exponential rise and power-law decay, a broken power law,and Schechter LFs. A single power-law (SPL) LF, on the other hand, is ruled out with high confidence.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2014. The American Astronomical Society. Originally published in The Astrophysical Journal 795(2): 103. DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/795/2/103.
Recommended Citation
Cui XH, Wu XF, Wei JJ, Yuan F, Zheng WK, Liang EW, Akerlof CW, Ashley MCB, Flewelling HA, Göǧüş E, et al. 2014. The optical luminosity function of gamma-ray bursts deduced from ROTSE-III observations. The Astrophysical Journal 795(2): 103.
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Instrumentation Commons, Physics Commons, Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy Commons