Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Era of Rapid Followup

Abstract

We present a status report on the study of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the era of rapid followup using the world's largest robotic optical telescopes—the 2 m Liverpool and Faulkes telescopes. Within the context of key unsolved issues in GRB physics, we describe (1) our innovative software that allows real-time automatic analysis and interpretation of GRB light curves, (2) the novel instrumentation that allows unique types of observations (in particular, early time polarisation measurements), and (3) the key science questions and discoveries to which robotic observations are ideally suited, concluding with a summary of current understanding of GRB physics provided by combining rapid optical observations with simultaneous observations at other wavelengths.