[vsnet-grb-info 12656] GRB 121128A: Swift-XRT refined Analysis

[GCN Circulars]

TITLE:   GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER:  14016
SUBJECT: GRB 121128A: Swift-XRT refined Analysis
DATE:    12/11/28 21:18:04 GMT
FROM:    Phil Evans at U of Leicester  <pae9 at leicester.ac.uk>

G. Stratta (ASDC), D.N. Burrows (PSU), J.A. Kennea (PSU), M.C. Stroh
(PSU), O.M. Littlejohns (U. Leicester), J.P. Osborne (U. Leicester),
K.L. Page (U. Leicester), P. D'Avanzo (INAF-OAB), V. D'Elia (ASDC) and
S.R. Oates report on behalf of the Swift-XRT team:

We have analysed 12 ks of XRT data for GRB 121128A (Oates  et al. GCN
Circ. 14007), from 66 s to 41.5 ks after the  BAT trigger. The data
comprise 108 s in Windowed Timing (WT) mode (the first 9 s were taken
while Swift was slewing) with the remainder in Photon Counting (PC)
mode. The enhanced XRT position for this burst was given by Osborne et
al. (GCN. Circ 14015).

The late-time light curve (from T0+6.9 ks) can be modelled with  a
power-law decay with a decay index of alpha=1.67 (+0.16, -0.15).

A spectrum formed from the WT mode data can be fitted with an absorbed
power-law with a photon spectral index	of 2.43 (+/-0.11). The
best-fitting absorption column is  1.2 (+/-0.4) x 10^22 cm^-2, at a
redshift of 2.2, in addition to the Galactic value of 2.1 x 10^21 cm^-2
(Kalberla et al. 2005). The PC mode spectrum has a photon index of 1.99
(+0.10, -0.09) and a best-fitting absorption column of 1.1 (+0.5, -0.4)
x 10^22 cm^-2. The counts to observed (unabsorbed) 0.3-10 keV flux
conversion factor deduced from this spectrum  is 4.1 x 10^-11 (6.4 x
10^-11) erg cm^-2 count^-1. 

A summary of the PC-mode spectrum is thus:
Galactic foreground: 2.1 x 10^21 cm^-2
Intrinsic column:    1.1 (+0.5, -0.4) x 10^22 cm^-2 at z=2.2
Photon index:	     1.99 (+0.10, -0.09)

If the light curve continues to decay with a power-law decay index of
1.59, the count rate at T+24 hours will be 3.2 x 10^-3 count s^-1,
corresponding to an observed (unabsorbed) 0.3-10 keV flux of 1.3 x
10^-13 (2.1 x 10^-13) erg cm^-2 s^-1.

The results of the XRT-team automatic analysis are available at
http://www.swift.ac.uk/xrt_products/00539866.

This circular is an official product of the Swift-XRT team.