Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment
Multi-telescope experiment for optical afterglow of gamma-ray bursts.
The Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment (ROTSE) is a project that uses multiple telescopes to catch the optical light that follows gamma-ray bursts. Four telescopes are currently in operation, located in Australia, Namibia, Turkey, and at the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, Texas. The Namibian telescope sits at the High Energy Stereoscopic System site in the Gamsberg mountains, southwest of the capital Windhoek. The project brings together astrophysicists from the University of Michigan, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of New South Wales in Australia, and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Germany. The first version, ROTSE-I, used four 11 cm aperture telephoto lenses to cover a 16 by 16 degree field of view. It managed to detect the first optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst while the burst was still happening, but it was the only burst ever caught by ROTSE or the similar Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System. Because of this, ROTSE-II was planned with a large field of view, but it was never built. New satellites like HETE-2 and SWIFT provided smaller error boxes, making a huge field of view unnecessary. This led to ROTSE-III, a more conventional telescope designed for fast slewing and operation at multiple sites worldwide.
- Telescope locations
- Australia, Namibia, Turkey, McDonald Observatory (Texas)
- Namibian telescope site
- High Energy Stereoscopic System site in the Gamsberg mountains south-west of Windhoek
- Collaborating institutions
- University of Michigan, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of New South Wales (Australia), Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (Germany)
- Original telescope
- ROTSE-I with four telephoto lenses of 11 cm aperture, covering a 16x16 degree field of view
- Successor designs
- ROTSE-II (never built), ROTSE-III (conventional telescope for fast slewing at multiple locations)
Lore & Background
The ROTSE project began with ROTSE-I, which used four telephoto lenses of 11 cm aperture covering a 16x16 degree field of view. This configuration detected the first afterglow of a gamma-ray burst while the burst was still ongoing, but it was the only burst detected by ROTSE or the very similar Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System. Because of this limited success, ROTSE-II was designed with a large field of view but was never built, as new satellites such as HETE-2 and SWIFT provided smaller error boxes, making a huge field of view unnecessary. This led to the design of ROTSE-III, a more or less conventional telescope designed for fast slewing and operation at multiple locations around the world. The experiment currently consists of four telescopes located in Australia, Namibia, Turkey, and at the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, Texas. The Namibian telescope is situated at the High Energy Stereoscopic System site in the Gamsberg mountains south-west of the capital Windhoek.
Reader's Guide
The Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment is notable for being a multi-telescope experiment specifically designed to observe the optical afterglow of gamma-ray bursts. Its original incarnation, ROTSE-I, achieved a significant milestone by detecting the first afterglow of a GRB while the burst was still ongoing, though this remained the only burst detected by ROTSE or the similar Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System. The evolution from ROTSE-I to the planned but unbuilt ROTSE-II, and finally to the built ROTSE-III, reflects the changing needs of the field: new satellites like HETE-2 and SWIFT provided smaller error boxes, reducing the need for extremely wide fields of view. The experiment's legacy includes its international collaboration of astrophysicists from the University of Michigan, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of New South Wales, and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, and its deployment of telescopes at four global sites.
Did You Know?
- ROTSE-II was designed but never built because new satellites provided smaller error boxes.
- The ROTSE project is a collaboration of five institutions including the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
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