GCN Circular 39727
Subject
GRB 250314A: NOT near-infrared candidate counterpart
Date
2025-03-15T04:30:21Z (6 hours ago)
From
Daniele B. Malesani at IMAPP / Radboud University <d.malesani@astro.ru.nl>
Via
Web form
D. B. Malesani (DAWN/NBI), G. Corcoran (UCD), L. Izzo (INAF/OAC and DARK/NBI), B. Schneider (LAM), J. Palmerio (CEA/Irfu), A. Henderson de la Fuente (NOT) report on behalf of a larger collaboration:
We observed the field of the SVOM GRB 250314A (Wang et al., GCN 39719) using the Nordic Optical Telescope equipped with the NOTCam near-infrared camera. Observations were carried out in the J band, for a total exposure time of 18 min on source, at a mean epoch of March 15.0523 UT (12.3 hr after the trigger).
A faint object is apparent at coordinates (J2000):
RA = 13:25:12.16
Dec = -05:16:55.1
Calibrating against nearby 2MASS stars, we measure J = 20.85 +- 0.15 (Vega).
Nothing is visible at this location in the Legacy Survey nor in the Vista Hemisphere Survey (VHS), down to limits r > 24.5 (AB) and J > 20 (Vega).
The position of this object is consistent with a bright X-ray source visible in public observations carried out by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory X-ray telescope (XRT; target ID 19616, PI Kennea). We thus consider this source as a plausible NIR counterpart candidate of GRB 250314A, though detection of fading will be necessary to confirm this hypothesis.