Polarimetry and photometry of gamma-ray bursts afterglows with RINGO3

We present photometric and polarimetric measurements of gamma-ray burst (GRB) optical afterglows observed by the RINGO3 imaging polarimeter over its similar to 7 yr lifetime mounted on the Liverpool Telescope. During this time, RINGO3 responded to 67 GRB alerts. Of these, 28 had optical afterglows and a further ten were sufficiently bright for photometric and polarimetric analysis (R < 17). We present high quality multicolour light curves of ten sources: GRB 130606A, GRB 130610A, GRB 130612A, GRB 140430A, GRB 141220A, GRB 151215A, GRB 180325A, GRB 180618A, GRB 190114C, and GRB 191016A and polarimetry for seven of these (excluding GRB 130606A, GRB 130610A, and GRB 130612A, which were observed before the polarimetry mode was fully commissioned). Eight of these ten GRBs are classical long GRBs, one sits at the short-long duration interface with a T-90 similar to 4 s and one is a classical short, hard burst with extended emission. We detect polarization for GRB 190114C and GRB 191016A. While detailed analyses of several of these GRBs have been published previously, here we present a uniform re-reduction and analysis of the whole sample and investigation of the population in a broad context relative to the current literature. We use survival analysis to fully include the polarization upper limits in comparison with other GRB properties, such as temporal decay rate, isotropic energy, and redshift. We find no clear correlation between polarization properties and wider sample properties and conclude that larger samples of early time polarimetry of GRB afterglows are required to fully understand GRB magnetic fields.

Automated summary

This study presents photometric and polarimetric measurements of gamma-ray burst optical afterglows observed by the RINGO3 imaging polarimeter. The researchers find no clear correlation between polarization properties and sample properties and suggest that larger samples are needed for a better understanding of GRB magnetic fields.