The first search for a gamma-ray burst quiescent counterpart in the extreme ultraviolet with EUVE

Abstract

The opening of the extreme ultraviolet window by the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite has provided the unique opportunity to perform the first search for a quiescent gamma-ray burst counterpart at these wavelengths. Such emission might be expected if some bursts are related to nearby hot neutron stars or neutron stars with accretion disks, among other objects. We report here on a 40 ks observation on the 1992 March 25 gamma-ray burst error box, determined by triangulation with the Third Interplanetary Network. No quiescent 40-190 A Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) source was identified using the Deep Survey instrument, and a 3 sigma upper limit of 2.9 x 10(exp -14) erg/sq cm/s was obtained. Similarly, upper limits to the 140-380 and 280-760 A fluxes were obtained with the medium- and long-wavelength spectrometers; they are 1.1 x 10(exp -12) and 5.0 x 10(exp -13) erg/sq cm/s, respectively. We discuss the constraints which these limits impose on thermally radiating quiescent counterparts.