Astrophysics

Type Ia Supernovae Are Good Standard Candles in the Near Infrared: Evidence from PAIRITEL

We have obtained 1087 NIR (JHK$_s$) measurements of 21 SNe Ia using PAIRITEL, nearly doubling the number of well-sampled NIR SN Ia light curves. These data strengthen the evidence that SNe Ia are excellent standard candles in the NIR, even without …

A photometric redshift of z = 1.8$^+0.4$$_-0.3$ for the AGILE GRB 080514B

The AGILE gamma-ray burst GRB 080514B is the first detected to have emission above 30 MeV and an optical afterglow. However, no spectroscopic redshift for this burst is known. We report on our ground-based optical/NIR and millimeter follow-up …

GRB 071003: Broadband Follow-up Observations of a Very Bright Gamma-Ray Burst in a Galactic Halo

The optical afterglow of long-duration GRB 071003 is among the brightest yet to be detected from any GRB, with R ≈ 12 mag in KAIT observations starting 42 s after the GRB trigger, including filtered detections during prompt emission. However, our …

Late-Time Observations of SN 2006gy: Still Going Strong

Owing to its extremely high luminosity and long duration, supernova (SN) 2006gy radiated more energy in visual light than any other known SN. Two hypotheses to explain its high luminosity at early times—that it was powered by shock interaction with …

A New Low-Mass Eclipsing Binary from SDSS-II

We present observations of a new low-mass, double-lined eclipsing binary system discovered using repeat observations of the celestial equator from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II. Using near- infrared photometry and optical spectroscopy we have …

Near-Infrared Monitoring of Ultracool Dwarfs: Prospects for Searching for Transiting Companions

Stars of late-M and L spectral types, collectively known as ultracool dwarfs (UCDs), may be excellent targets for searches for extrasolar planets. Owing to their small radii, the signal from an Earth-size planet transiting a UCD is, in principle, …

The complex light curve of the afterglow of GRB071010A

We present and discuss the results of an extensive observational campaign devoted to GRB071010A, a long-duration gamma-ray burst detected by the Swift satellite. This event was followed for almost a month in the optical/near-infrared (NIR) with …

Gamma-ray Bursts, Classified Physically

From Galactic binary sources, to extragalactic magnetized neutron stars, to long-duration GRBs without associated supernovae, the types of sources we now believe capable of producing bursts of gamma- rays continues to grow apace. With this emergent …

GRB 070610: A Curious Galactic Transient

GRB 070610 is a typical high-energy event with a duration of 5 s. Yet within the burst localization we detect a highly unusual X-ray and optical transient, Swift J195509.6+261406. We see high- amplitude X-ray and optical variability on very short …

Resolving The ISM Surrounding GRBs with Afterglow Spectroscopy

We review current research related to spectroscopy of gamma-ray burst (GRB) after-glows with particular emphasis on the interstellar medium (ISM) of the galaxies hosting these high redshift events. These studies reveal the physical conditions of …