The INTEGRAL picture of the month shows the results obtained with IBAS.
IBAS is the
INTEGRAL Burst Alert System; a piece of software which
searches on-ground (at the ISDC) INTEGRAL real-time data for Gamma
Ray Bursts (GRBs) and allows the rapid distribution of their coordinates.
It is intended to facilitate follow-up observations at other wavelengths.
The figure shows the error regions (circles) distributed by IBAS and the
delays for the 6 first GRBs in the Field of View of the gamma-ray instruments.
Now a total of 8 GRBs has been observed. Note that the delays have decreased
dramatically during the first year of the mission!
The non-circularly shaped regions are uncertainty region derived from IPN
triangulation. The position of GRB 031203 (not plotted here) has been
distributed within 20 seconds with an accuracy of 2.7 arc minutes.
The position of GRB 040106 has even been distributed within 12 seconds
after the onset of the burst! This is a new world record for speed
and location accuracy.
