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GCN Circular 20717

Subject
LIGO/Virgo G274296: iPTF Optical Transient Candidates
Date
2017-02-22T01:11:33Z (8 years ago)
From
Mansi M. Kasliwal at Caltech <mansi@astro.caltech.edu>
R. Ferretti (OKC), R. Lunnan (Caltech), M. M. Kasliwal (Caltech), L. P.
Singer (NASA/GSFC), S. B. Cenko (NASA/GSFC), D. Cook (Caltech), C. Cannella
(Caltech),  A. van Sistine (UWM), T. Barlow (Caltech), V. Bhalerao (IUCAA),
J. Rana (IUCAA), A. A. Miller (Northwestern/Adler), Y. Cao (UW)

report on behalf of the iPTF (intermediate Palomar Transient Factory) and
GROWTH (Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen)
collaborations:-

We performed tiled observations of LIGO/Virgo G274296 (LVC, GCN 20689)
using the Palomar 48-inch Oschin telescope (P48) on the night of 2017-02-21
UTC. We imaged 111 fields spanning 807 square degrees, with a 54% chance of
containing the true location of the source. Of these, 69 fields (502 square
degrees; 42% probability) were imaged twice and searched for transient
candidates.

During preliminary sifting through candidate variable sources using image
subtraction by our IPAC pipeline (Masci et al. 2016), and applying standard
iPTF vetting procedures, we flagged the following optical transient
candidates (60 total) for further follow-up:

name           RA            Dec          time             mag
z         notes
--------      ----------     ----------   -----           -----
------     ---------
iPTF17bed    234.991732     +34.088243    2457806.0160    20.17
0.138       photz; at edge of galaxy
iPTF17bec    232.665446     +33.928645    2457806.0160    19.90
0.0482      specz; irregular galaxy; fading (0.34 mag intra-night)
iPTF17beb    235.828735     +32.682827    2457806.01757   19.03
0.07        photz
iPTF17bdz    174.715936     +33.828372    2457805.90013   20.05
0.0327      specz;  nuclear edge-on
iPTF17bdy    178.129375     +35.456339    2457805.90162   20.30
0.0943      specz;  slightly off-center
iPTF17bdw    178.329915     +36.442293    2457805.90313   20.29
0.18        photz
iPTF17bds    183.323594     +39.266026    2457805.9061    20.11
0.13        photz; fading (0.40 mag intra-night)
iPTF17bdq    181.290430     +37.270222    2457805.90762   19.94
0.0226      specz
iPTF17bdp    182.529730     +36.393440    2457805.90762   20.08
0.2432      specz; nuclear (SDSS QSO)
iPTF17bdn    184.075520     +40.796273    2457805.93462   20.57
0.136       photz
iPTF17bdl    183.608407     +42.063649    2457805.9346    19.65
0.0231      specz; nuclear?
iPTF17bdk    186.611638     +40.726698    2457805.9346    20.55
0.0699      specz; nuclear?
iPTF17bdj    185.368397     +42.208415    2457805.93462   19.51
0.1206      specz
iPTF17bdf    188.315478     +36.824458    2457805.93763   19.68
0.095       photz
iPTF17bde    187.281321     +36.457123    2457805.93763   19.58
0.0714      specz; slightly off-center
iPTF17bdd    191.013043     +41.168996    2457805.93912   19.04
0.0237      specz; nuclear?; rising (0.48 mag intra-night)
iPTF17bdc    192.553197     +36.464676    2457805.9421    20.49
0.1448      specz; at edge of galaxy
iPTF17bda    193.915287     +39.855467    2457805.9436    19.21
0.38        photz
iPTF17bcz    196.354965     +39.004452    2457805.9436    19.59
0.0808      specz; off-center
iPTF17bcy    197.058084     +41.600850    2457805.9466    20.23
0.0272      specz
iPTF17bcw    201.468624     +39.173964    2457805.94814   20.65
0.0636      specz
iPTF17bcs    198.456906     +38.894402    2457805.94814   19.60
0.0794      spez; nuclear
iPTF17bcr    200.757880     +40.201309    2457805.9481    20.35
0.0640      specz
iPTF17bcn    201.030920     +42.445651    2457805.95116   19.99
0.079       photz; nuclear
iPTF17bcl    207.110772     +41.975701    2457805.95416   20.44
0.183       photz
iPTF17bck    208.258285     +40.302280    2457805.95715   19.85
?           no photz available
iPTF17bci    209.602490     +43.662936    2457805.95867   19.74
0.065       specz; nuclear
iPTF17bch    209.362268     +44.387701    2457805.95867   19.65
0.072       specz; nuclear?
iPTF17bcg    211.528986     +42.673631    2457805.96015   19.37
0.088       specz
iPTF17bce    212.679949     +37.081015    2457805.96316   20.37
0.224       photz
iPTF17bbv    174.674325     +36.232952    2457805.8986    18.27
0.05996     specz
iPTF17bbu    167.125966     +31.440313    2457805.8911    19.70
0.06        photz
iPTF17bbt    166.948991     +31.255977    2457805.8911    20.02
0.087       photz
iPTF17bbs    166.950771     +31.311975    2457805.8911    19.95
0.072       specz
iPTF17bbq    168.377846     +29.667545    2457805.8911    20.25
0.0455      specz; =PS17bew (GCN 20699)
iPTF17bbp    166.537702     +30.246383    2457805.8911    19.95
0.030       specz
iPTF17bbn    167.184990     +31.218324    2457805.8911    19.29
0.073       specz; also detected 2017-02-17 (g=20.11); nuclear
iPTF17bbg    169.748759     +35.743451    2457805.89411   19.89
0.104       specz
iPTF17bbf    170.901072     +34.765936    2457805.89411   19.60
0.186       photz
iPTF17bbe    170.036330     +34.312810    2457805.89411   20.49
0.037       specz; nuclear (SDSS AGN)
iPTF17bbb    170.475973     +33.961040    2457805.89411   20.11
0.078       photz
iPTF17bba    170.464827     +33.845571    2457805.89411   19.88
0.044       specz
iPTF17baz    170.427019     +34.363034    2457805.89411   19.05
0.035       specz
iPTF17bav    168.441386     +37.278479    2457805.8956    19.61
0.100       specz
iPTF17bat    171.393094     +40.511821    2457805.89712   20.01
0.122       specz
iPTF17baq    134.698013     +01.842508    2457805.78102   19.70
0.058       specz; nuclear?
iPTF17bap    134.438423     +00.933616    2457805.78102   19.80
0.120       specz; nuclear
iPTF17bao    133.976313     +00.853143    2457805.78102   19.41
0.053       specz; nuclear (SDSS AGN)
iPTF17bam    134.670596     +02.078209    2457805.78102   19.88
0.125       specz; rising (0.35 mag intra-night)
iPTF17bal    138.036706     +06.780975    2457805.78255   19.72
0.143       specz; nuclear
iPTF17bak    138.746540     +05.045414    2457805.78404   20.55
0.143       specz; nuclear (SDSS AGN); rising (0.39 mag intra-night)
iPTF17bai    141.156805     +08.409091    2457805.78853   19.97
0.129       specz; nuclear?
iPTF17bah    141.492784     +08.840897    2457805.78853   20.51
0.107       specz; nuclear?; rising (0.59 mag intra-night)
iPTF17bag    137.893562     +06.774493    2457805.78255   20.20
0.225       photz; nuclear
iPTF17bad    141.730214     +08.380390    2457805.78853   19.72
0.122       specz; nuclear?
iPTF17baa    133.693265     +01.183738    2457805.78102   19.46
0.066       photz
iPTF17aas    170.123758     +34.754070    2457805.89411   18.96
0.042       specz; =SN2017aas=PTSS-17dib=PS17bey, known SNIa.
iPTF17mf     214.129450     +39.586295    2457805.96167   17.21
0.0257      specz; =SN2017mf, known SNIa.
iPTF17jg     204.057109     +38.348005    2457805.94963   18.57
0.014       specz; =ATLAS17aic, first discovered 2017-01-09
iPTF17hy     202.138887     +39.486881    2457805.94963   20.18
0.064       specz; =Gaia17abk=PS17hc, first discovered 2017-01-12.

Positions are stated in the ICRS. Times are in UTC. Magnitudes are based on
image subtraction; they are in the Mould R filter and in the AB system,
calibrated with respect to point sources in SDSS as described in Ofek et
al. 2012.

None of the above transients show prior history of detection in iPTF
archival images. All of the above transients coincide with a galaxy that is
visible in iPTF and/or SDSS images. Archival spectroscopic or photometric
redshifts of the transients' likely host galaxies are given above.

We cross-matched this list to our ongoing effort to build a more complete
Census of the Local Universe (CLU; Cook et al. 2017) by identifying
redshifted Halpha emitters out to 200 Mpc. The hosts of iPTF17bdq,
iPTF17bdl, iPTF17bcy, iPTF17bcn, iPTF17bbe, and iPTF17bbb, are viable
emission line candidates.

We encourage spectroscopic classification of these candidates. In
particular, we highlight iPTF17bec, iPTF17bds, iPTF17bdd, iPTF17bam, and
iPTF17bah as fast-evolving by more than 0.3 mag in the same night. In
addition, our local transients (d < 100 Mpc) are iPTF17jg, iPTF17bdq,
iPTF17bbp, iPTF17bdl, and iPTF17bdd, and our bright transients (R < 19 mag)
are iPTF17bbv, iPTF17jg, iPTF17bdd, iPTF17baz, and iPTF17beb.
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