Modeling the GRB 170202A Fireball from Continuous Observations with the Zadko and the Virgin Island Robotic Telescopes

Abstract

Abstract We present coordinated observations of GRB 170202A carried out by the Zadko and the Virgin Island Robotic Telescopes. The observations started 59 s after the event trigger, and provided nearly continuous coverage for two days, due to the unique locations of these telescopes. We clearly detected an early rise in optical emission, followed by late optical flares. By complementing these data with archival observations, we show that GRB 170202A is well described by the standard fireball model if multiple reverse shocks are taken into account. Its fireball is evidenced as expanding within a constant-density interstellar medium, with most burst parameters being consistent with the usual ranges found in the literature. The electron and magnetic energy parameters (ϵ e , ϵ B ) are orders of magnitude smaller than the commonly assumed values. We argue that the global fit of the fireball model achieved by our study should be possible for any burst, pending the availability of a sufficiently comprehensive data set. This conclusion emphasizes the crucial importance of coordinated observation campaigns of gamma-ray bursts, such as the one central to this work, to answer outstanding questions about the underlying physics driving these phenomena.