The Synoptic Swift Synergy -- Catching Gamma-Ray Bursts Before They Fly

Abstract

The advent of large panoramic photometric surveys of the sky offers the possibly of exploring the association of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with supernovae. To date, a few gamma-ray bursts have been connected possibly with supernovae: GRB 980425 -- SN 1998bw, GRB 011121 -- SN 2001ke, GRB 970228 and GRB 980326. A combination of a large detection rate of GRBs and rapid coverage of a large portion of the sky to faint magnitude limits offers the possibility of detecting a supernova preceding an associated GRB or at least placing limits on the rate of association between these two phenomena and the time delay between them. This would provide important constraints on theoretical models for gamma-ray bursts.