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[22.05] The X-ray, Optical, and Radio Afterglow of the X-ray Flash XRF030723

D. B. Fox (Caltech Astronomy), Caltech-NRAO GRB Collaboration

We report our discovery of the optical afterglow of the X-ray flash XRF030723, and our subsequent monitoring of the afterglow emission of this event in the radio, optical, near-infrared, and X-ray. The X-ray flashes (XRFs) have recently been recognized as a distinct class of cosmic explosions, possessing less high-energy content than the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) but nonetheless exhibiting a broad-band afterglow. Prior to XRF030723, however, no afterglow was detected with sufficient promptness to enable an extensive broad-band follow-up campaign. Making a joint analysis of photometric data gathered by us and by other groups, we present constraints on the physical properties of the explosion, including the blastwave energy and the circumburst density, and address the question of whether this event produced an associated supernova.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.