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G. R. Ricker (MIT), HETE Science Team
The High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) has observed more than 400 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in 4 years of operations. It is currently localizing 20 - 25 GRBs per year, and had accurately localized 75 GRBs as of mid October 2004. Twenty-nine of these localizations have led to the detection of X-ray, optical, or radio afterglows; 17 of the bursts with afterglows have redshift determinations. Rapid X-ray, optical, IR, and radio follow-up identifications of HETE GRBs are revealing the nature of "dark bursts" and X-ray flashes (XRFs), and have firmly established the GRB-supernova connection as a result of HETE's discovery of GRB030329 (=SN2003dh). Follow up observations of HETE bursts have proven to be extremely productive in relating GRBs to their progenitors, to their local ISM, and to their host galaxies. Results from recent HETE observations will be presented, with special emphasis on the implications for GRBs with very low (z < 0.5) or very high (z > 5) redshifts, and the complementarity and anticipated synergy between HETE and the upcoming Swift mission.
The HETE scientific team includes participants from France, Japan, Brazil, India, Italy, and the USA. This research was supported in the USA by NASA contracts NASW-4690 and NAS8-39073.
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The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: grr@space.mit.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.