[vsnet-grb-info 10396] GRB 110328A: Gemini spectroscopic observations

[GCN Circulars]

TITLE:   GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER:  11833
SUBJECT: GRB 110328A: Gemini spectroscopic observations
DATE:    11/03/29 16:13:27 GMT
FROM:    Andrew Levan at U.of Leicester  <A.J.Levan at warwick.ac.uk>

A.J. Levan (U. Warwick), N.R. Tanvir, K. Wiersema (U. Leicester),
D. Perley (U.C. Berkeley) report for a larger collaboration:

"We obtained spectroscopic observations of the optical source
associated with GRB 110328A with Gemini/GMOS on 29th March 2011. A
preliminary reduction shows emission lines associated with Hbeta,
and OIII (4959, 5007) at a common redshift of z~0.35.

This suggests either a chance alignment of a soft X-ray transient
with a external galaxy (although the lack of an optical counterpart
within our Galaxy would be puzzling), or, more likely, that GRB
110328A is an extragalactic object, with properties unlike any
previously observed GRB

We thank the staff of Gemini, in particular Richard McDermid, for
the execution of these observations"