Optical Transients Search in the Bamberg Plate Archive

Presenter: Fabian Kopel

A substantial fraction of gamma-ray bursts is related to objects emitting temporarily optical light, i.e. optical afterglows and optical transients. So far, these phenomena (optical transients) were detected only after related gamma-ray satellite detection. However, taking into account their optical magnitudes at maximum light, these objects should be detectable in various historical and recent optical surveys, including photographic sky patrol. Here we report on an extended study based on blink-comparison of 5004 Bamberg Observatory Southern Sky Patrol Plates performed within a high-school student project (Jugend Forscht).

Pedro Krapp,
Rene Hudec,
Ulrich Heber,
Walter Cayé,
Marko Schwärzel,
Eva Ziegerer