COMPTEL Observation of GRB 930131

R. M. Kippen1, A. Connors1, W. Collmar2, J. Greiner2, L. Hanlon4, G. Lichti2,
W. Hermsen3, L. Kuiper3, M. McConnell1, J. Ryan1, V. Schšnfelder2,
M. Varendorff2,1, O. R. Williams4, C. Winkler4

1 Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
2Max-Planck-Institut fŸr Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, FRG
3SRON-Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
4Astrophysics Division, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands


Abstract

	On 1993 January 31 at 18:57:11 UT, COMPTEL detected high energy (0.7-30 MeV) emission from the intense cosmic gamma-ray burst GRB 930131.  Upon rapid notification of this burst by the BATSE experiment on CGRO, COMPTELŐs gamma-ray imaging capability was utilized to locate the source of emission to within ~2 degrees sooner than seven hours after the start of the burst.  This early source position was later found to be consistent with independent BATSE and CGRO-EGRET locations as well as triangulation between BATSE and Ulysses.  GRB 930131 is the most successful application to date of a rapid response program established between BATSE and COMPTEL to quickly and accurately locate gamma-ray bursts.  The duration of this burst in COMPTELŐs energy range was short; consisting of two separate peaks both occurring within a ~1 second interval.  Spectral analysis of the limited number of COMPTEL telescope events indicate hard, power-law emission extending to greater than 10 MeV.