TY - GEN
T1 - Rapid GRB Follow-up with the 2-m Robotic Liverpool Telescope
AU - Gomboc, Andreja
AU - Bode, M. F.
AU - Carter, David
AU - Guidorzi, Cristiano
AU - Monfardini, Alessandro
AU - Mundell, Carole
AU - Newsam, A. M.
AU - Smith, Robert J.
AU - Steele, Iain
AU - Meaburn, J.
PY - 2005/10
Y1 - 2005/10
N2 - We present the capabilities of the 2‐m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT), owned and operated by Liverpool John Moores University and situated at Observatorio Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM), La Palma. Robotic control and scheduling of the LT make it especially powerful for observations in time domain astrophysics including: (i) rapid response to Targets of Opportunity: Gamma Ray Bursts, novae, supernovae, comets; (ii) monitoring of variable objects on timescales from seconds to years, and (iii) observations simultaneous or coordinated with other facilities, both ground‐based and from space. Following a GRB alert from the Gamma Ray Observatories HETE‐2, INTEGRAL and Swift we implement a special over‐ride mode which enables observations to commence in about a minute after the alert, including optical and near infrared imaging and spectroscopy. In particular, the combination of aperture, site, instrumentation and rapid response (aided by its rapid slew and fully‐opening enclosure) makes the LT excellently suited to help solving the mystery of the origin of optically dark GRBs, for the investigation of short bursts (which currently do not have any confirmed optical counterparts) and for early optical spectroscopy of the GRB phenomenon in general. We will briefly describe the LT’s key position in the RoboNet‐1.0 network of robotic telescopes.
AB - We present the capabilities of the 2‐m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT), owned and operated by Liverpool John Moores University and situated at Observatorio Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM), La Palma. Robotic control and scheduling of the LT make it especially powerful for observations in time domain astrophysics including: (i) rapid response to Targets of Opportunity: Gamma Ray Bursts, novae, supernovae, comets; (ii) monitoring of variable objects on timescales from seconds to years, and (iii) observations simultaneous or coordinated with other facilities, both ground‐based and from space. Following a GRB alert from the Gamma Ray Observatories HETE‐2, INTEGRAL and Swift we implement a special over‐ride mode which enables observations to commence in about a minute after the alert, including optical and near infrared imaging and spectroscopy. In particular, the combination of aperture, site, instrumentation and rapid response (aided by its rapid slew and fully‐opening enclosure) makes the LT excellently suited to help solving the mystery of the origin of optically dark GRBs, for the investigation of short bursts (which currently do not have any confirmed optical counterparts) and for early optical spectroscopy of the GRB phenomenon in general. We will briefly describe the LT’s key position in the RoboNet‐1.0 network of robotic telescopes.
U2 - 10.1063/1.2130231
DO - 10.1063/1.2130231
M3 - Chapter in a published conference proceeding
T3 - AIP Conference Proceedings
SP - 181
EP - 186
BT - Interacting Binaries
ER -