REM/ROSS Nicola Masetti IASF/CNR, Sezione di Bologna, Italy

REM, THE ROBOTIC TELESCOPE Diameter: 60 cm Location: La Silla (Chile) first light: 25 June 2003 IR camera (J, H, K, z filters) ROSS optical camera (V, R, I filters; Å slitless spectroscopy) fast repointing (< 10 s for 90° slew) Limiting mags. (1 s, 3σ): V 17.5; R 17.5; I 16.5; J 15; H 14; K 13.5

THE REM NOTRE DÔME

THE OPTICAL SPECTROGRAPH ROSS

PEOPLE INVOLVED IN ROSS CORE GROUP: Eliana Palazzi (PS; IASF-BO) Gino Tosti (PI; UniPG) Nicola Masetti (IASF-BO) Alessandro Monfardini (CARSO) Luciano Nicastro (IASF-PA) Elena Pian (INAF-OATs) Carlo Bagaglia (UniPG) Carlo Campeggi (UniPG) Carlo Ferrigno (UniPA) Giorgio Sciuto (UniPG) SCIENCE TEAM: Lorenzo Amati, Filippo Frontera, Mauro Orlandini (IASF-BO) Marco Tavani (IASF-RM) John Danziger (INAF-OATs)

REM SCIENCE DRIVERS Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are powerful and fast-decaying flashes of high-energy emission. While the dataset of multiwavelength observations of their emission as observed from hours to days (the afterglow) after the GRB proper is now growing larger, the knowledge about their early behaviour at optical/infrared energies is lacking. This information, due to the unpredictability of GRB location in the sky, can be achieved only by means of fast slewing (robotic) small telescopes. Early optical/infrared detections will also serve to trigger fast GRB followup at larger telescopes. Besides, spectral coverage of the whole optical/infrared band will allow characterizing the emission mechanisms at work in the early GRB phases and to pinpoint the presence of high-z bursts (or the lack thereof).

CAN REM/ROSS DO THIS? Yes. GRB990123

HOW ROSS CAN SEE DLA-GRBs m R = 10 t exp = 1 sec z = 3.37 GRB with VLT Vreeswijk et al. (2003)

WHAT IS ROSS FOR? Primary science (GRBs): fast detection of the GRB optical transient (OT); monitoring the OT overall spectral shape; finding the GRB redshift if 2.0 < z < 8.9 Secondary science: monitoring of AGNs; detection of transient X-ray binaries; monitoring of persistent X-ray binaries; monitoring of flare stars.

Other robotic (or robotized) telescopes: Tarot (F) BOOTES (E)MoU for creation of REM-Nord BART (CZ) ROTSE-III(USA) RAPTOR(USA) SuperLOTIS(USA) KAIT(USA) NEAT(USA) REM is however the only one capable to observe simultaneously from 3700 to Å within seconds after the GRB trigger. INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT FUNDING & GRANTS ASI grant 2001 COFIN 2002 (grant for ) Descartes prize 2002 (a fraction of)

GRACE (GRB Afterglow Collaboration at ESO): DenmarkTelescopes of Paranal Germanyand La Silla plus Italy (IASF + OATs)national telescopes Netherlands(barring TNG for SpainItalians) UK (+ USA) CIBO (Consorzio Italiano Burst Ottici) INAF – Brera (Merate)Asiago, Loiano, REM, INAF – Roma (Monteporzio)Campo Imperatore, IASF – CNR (Bologna)TNG INAF - Trieste GRB COLLABORATIONS

HOW CAN WE DO THIS BETTER? A good idea would be having the Italian National Telescope to continue the GRB program… No TNG-AOT9 time allocated for GRB followup because: 1. too much time was requested; 2. too many instruments were requested. But: Swift will fly in June It is fundamental to have TNG ready for the opportunities this satellite will offer; TNG is one of the (very) few telescopes which can afford near- infrared spectropolarimetry; REM can boost TNG activities. In 4 years (2000 – 2003), we produced 16% of TNG-based refereed papers with <3% of TNG time.

AMATEUR ACTIVITIES… Cen A Dumbbell Ring Trifid Eagle NGC 6652