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On 19 March 2008, the northern sky was the stage of a spectacular optical transient that for a few seconds remained visible to the naked eye. The transient was associated with GRB 080319B, a gamma-ray burst at a luminosity distance of about 6 Gpc (standard cosmology), making it the most luminous optical object ever recorded by human kind. We present comprehensive sky monitoring and multi-color optical follow-up observations of GRB 080319B collected by the RAPTOR telescope network covering the development of the explosion and the afterglow before, during, and after the burst. The extremely bright prompt optical emission revealed features that are normally not detectable. The optical and gamma-ray variability during the explosion are correlated, but the optical flux is much greater than can be reconciled with single emission mechanism and a flat gamma-ray spectrum. This extreme optical behavior is best understood as synchrotron self-Compton model (SSC). After a gradual onset of the gamma-ray emission, there is an abrupt rise of the prompt optical flux suggesting that variable self-absorption dominates the early optical light curve. Our simultaneous multi-color optical light curves following the flash show spectral evolution consistent with a rapidly decaying red component due to large angle emission and the emergence of a blue forward shock component from interaction with the surrounding environment. While providing little support for the reverse shock that dominates the early afterglow, these observations strengthen the case for the universal role of the SSC mechanism in generating gamma-ray bursts.
Long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) release copious amounts of energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and so provide a window into the process of black hole formation from the collapse of a massive star. Over the last forty years, our u
The first gamma-ray burst (GRB) confirmed to be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, GRB 080319B at redshift z = 0.937, allowed for exquisite follow-up observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. We present our detailed optical and infr
We report on observations of GRB 080503, a short gamma-ray burst with very bright extended emission (about 30 times the gamma-ray fluence of the initial spike) in conjunction with a thorough comparison to other short Swift events. In spite of the pro
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) of the long-duration class are the most luminous sources of electromagnetic radiation known in the Universe. They are generated by outflows of plasma ejected at near the speed of light by newly formed neutron stars or black ho
Of all the well localized gamma-ray bursts, GRB 000911 has the longest duration (T_90 ~ 500 s), and ranks in the top 1% of BATSE bursts for fluence. Here, we report the discovery of the afterglow of this unique burst. In order to simultaneously fit o