GRB 251014A
GCN Circular 42307
Subject
GRB 251014A: Swift-XRT observations
Date
2025-10-16T13:51:56Z (a year ago)
From
Phil Evans at U of Leicester <pae9@star.le.ac.uk>
Via
email
A.P. Beardmore (U. Leicester), A. Melandri (INAF-OAR), T. Sbarrato
(INAF-OAB), P. D'Avanzo (INAF-OAB), J.A. Kennea (PSU), D.N. Burrows
(PSU), S. Lanava (PSU), J.P. Osborne (U. Leicester) and P.A. Evans (U.
Leicester) reports on behalf of the Swift-XRT team:
We have analysed 6.2 ks of Photon Counting (PC) mode XRT data for GRB
251014A, collected between T0+101.1 ks and T0+174.7 ks.
Three uncatalogued X-ray sources have been detected within the
estimated 3-sigma Swift-BAT error region (296 arcsec), however none of
them is above the RASS limit or shows definitive signs of fading.
Therefore, at the present time we cannot identify which, if any, is the
afterglow. Details of these sources are given below:
Source 5:
RA (J2000.0): 111.7316 = 07h 26m 55.58s
Dec (J2000.0): +6.4150 = +06d 24' 53.9"
Error: 6.7 arcsec (radius, 90% conf.)
Count-rate: (2.33 [+0.88, -0.72])e-3 ct s^-1
Distance: 1 arcsec from Swift-BAT position.
Flux: (1.11 [+0.42, -0.34])e-13 erg cm^-2 s^-1 (observed, 0.3-10 keV)
Source 8:
RA (J2000.0): 111.6918 = 07h 26m 46.04s
Dec (J2000.0): +6.4252 = +06d 25' 30.7"
Error: 6.1 arcsec (radius, 90% conf.)
Count-rate: (2.25 [+0.88, -0.72])e-3 ct s^-1
Distance: 148 arcsec from Swift-BAT position.
Flux: (7.1 [+2.8, -2.3])e-14 erg cm^-2 s^-1 (observed, 0.3-10 keV)
Source 9:
RA (J2000.0): 111.7868 = 07h 27m 08.82s
Dec (J2000.0): +6.3731 = +06d 22' 23.3"
Error: 5.6 arcsec (radius, 90% conf.)
Count-rate: (1.42 [+0.73, -0.56])e-3 ct s^-1
Distance: 247 arcsec from Swift-BAT position.
Flux: (4.8 [+2.5, -1.9])e-14 erg cm^-2 s^-1 (observed, 0.3-10 keV)
Seven uncatalogued sources were also detected too far from the GRB
position to be likely afterglow candidates.
The results of the XRT-team automatic analysis of the XRT observations,
including a position-specific upper limit calculator, are available at
https://www.swift.ac.uk/ToO_GRBs/01403878.
This circular is an official product of the Swift-XRT team.
GCN Circular 42278
Subject
GRB 251014A: Swift-BAT refined analysis
Date
2025-10-15T01:35:52Z (a year ago)
From
Rahul Gupta at NASA GSFC <rahul.gupta@nasa.gov>
Via
Web form
M. J. Moss (GSFC), E. Ambrosi (INAF-IASFPA),
S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC), R. Gupta (GSFC),
H. A. Krimm (NSF), S. Laha (GSFC/UMBC),
A. Y. Lien (U Tampa), C. B. Markwardt (GSFC),
D. M. Palmer (LANL), T. Parsotan (GSFC),
D. Sadaula (GSFC/UMBC), T. Sakamoto (AGU)
(i.e. the Swift-BAT team):
Using the data set from T-240 to T+962 sec from the recent telemetry downlink,
we report further analysis of BAT GRB 251014A (trigger #1403878)
(Ambrosi, et al., GCN Circ. 42238). The BAT ground-calculated position is
RA, Dec = 111.728, 6.420 deg which is
RA(J2000) = 07h 26m 54.7s
Dec(J2000) = +06d 25' 10.7"
with an uncertainty of 1.3 arcmin, (radius, sys+stat, 90% containment).
The partial coding was 78%.
The BAT mask-weighted light curve shows a single peaked emission with total
duration of less than 2 sec. T90 (15-350 keV) is 1.56 +- 0.24 sec (estimated error
including systematics).
The time-averaged spectrum from T-0.07 to T+1.82 sec is best fit by a power law
with an exponential cutoff. This fit gives a photon index 0.82 +- 0.70,
and Epeak of 47.1 +- 9.2 keV (chi squared 60.50 for 56 d.o.f.). For this
model the total fluence in the 15-150 keV band is 2.3 +- 0.2 x 10^-07 erg/cm2
and the 1-sec peak flux measured from T-0.07 sec in the 15-150 keV band is
2.8 +- 0.2 ph/cm2/sec. A fit to a simple power law gives a photon index
of 1.90 +- 0.13 (chi squared 69.47 for 57 d.o.f.). All the quoted errors
are at the 90% confidence level.
The results of the batgrbproduct analysis are available at
https://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/results/batgrbcat/BAT_refined_circular/1403878
GCN Circular 42273
Subject
GRB 251014A: PRIME near-infrared upper limits
Date
2025-10-14T22:47:00Z (a year ago)
From
Joe Durbak at UMD <gcn.joedurbak@gmail.com>
Via
Web form
J. Durbak (UMD), O. Guiffreda (UMD), N. Passaleva (U Rome), M. Elkabir (U Rome), A. S. Kutyrev (NASA/GSFC), E. Troja (U Rome), S. B. Cenko (NASA/GSFC)
Following the Swift BAT (Ambrosi et al, GCN 42238) and Fermi GBM (Fermi GBM Team, GCN 42237) detection, we observed the transient field in J-filter with PRIME ~1 hour after Swift and Fermi detection.
After comparing a previous J-band epoch observed in this location on 2024-11-17, we detect no new sources in J-band within the Swift BAT localization region. Using nearby 2MASS stars for preliminary calibration we derive a limiting magnitude >19.7 AB for the previous epoch, not corrected for Galactic extinction.
Further observations are planned to obtain deeper imaging.
PRIME is a 1.8m telescope with 1.56 square degree FOV (0.5 arcsec/pixel) located in Sutherland, South Africa at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) (Kutyrev et al. 2023, Yama et al. 2023, Durbak et al. 2024).
We thank the Osaka University observers at PRIME and the staff at SAAO for their support with these observations.
GCN Circular 42271
Subject
GRB 251014A: Glowbug gamma-ray detection of a likely short burst
Date
2025-10-14T21:37:02Z (a year ago)
From
C.C. Cheung at Naval Research Lab <Teddy.Cheung@nrl.navy.mil>
Via
Web form
R. Woolf, C.C. Cheung, M. Kerr, J.E. Grove (NRL), A. Goldstein (USRA), C.A. Wilson-Hodge, D. Kocevski (MSFC), and M.S. Briggs (UAH) report:
The Glowbug gamma-ray telescope [1,2,3], operating on the International Space Station, reports the detection of GRB 251014A, which was also detected by Fermi/GBM (GCN 42237, 42249) and Swift/BAT (GCN 42238).
Using an adaptive window with a resolution of 32-ms, the burst onset is determined to be 2025-10-14 00:28:30.032 with a duration of 1.02 s and a total significance of about 9.9 sigma. The light curve is dominated by a single peak.
The analysis results presented here are preliminary and use a response function that lacks a detailed characterization of the surrounding passive structure of the ISS.
Glowbug is a NASA-funded technology demonstrator for sensitive, low-cost gamma-ray transient telescopes developed, built, and operated by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) with support from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, USRA, and NASA MSFC. It was launched on 2023 March 15 aboard the Department of Defense Space Test Program’s STP-H9 to the ISS, and operated until 2024 April when it was put in safe storage on orbit. Glowbug was removed from storage and resumed operation on 2025 September 12.
[1] Grove, J.E. et al. 2020, Proc. Yamada Conf. LXXI, arXiv:2009.11959
[2] Woolf, R.S. et al. 2022, Proc. SPIE, 12181, id. 121811O
[3] Woolf, R.S. et al. 2024, Proc. SPIE, 13151, id. 1315108
Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
GCN Circular 42257
Subject
GRB 251014A: DDOTI Upper Limit
Date
2025-10-14T13:52:43Z (a year ago)
From
Rosa Leticia Becerra Godínez at Tor Vergata, Roma <rbecerra@astro.unam.mx>
Via
Web form
Rosa L. Becerra (U Roma), Alan M. Watson (UNAM), Camila Angulo Valdez (UNAM), Sahil Atri (U Roma), Nat Butler (ASU), Simone Dichiara (Penn State University), Tsvetelina Dimitrova (ASU), Alexander Kutyrev (GSFC/UMD), William H. Lee (UNAM), Océlotl López (UNAM), Margarita Pereyra (UNAM) and Eleonora Troja (U Roma) report:
We observed the field of GRB 251014A detected by Fermi/GBM (Fermi GBM Team, GCN Circ. 42237) and Swift (Ambrosi et al., GCN Circ. 42238) with the DDOTI/OAN wide-field imager at the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional on Sierra San Pedro Mártir (http://ddoti.astroscu.unam.mx) on the night of 2025-10-14 UTC.
DDOTI observed the Swift/BAT position (Ambrosi et al., GCN Circ. 42238