This shows the format of the e-mail messages sent to those groups in the GCN system requesting the e-mail method. The format is of the form "TOKEN: value(s)" on each line. This format is a reasonable compromise between human-readable and machine-readable/parsable formats.
This page has only the examples of the four BATSE-derived notices: the Original, Final, MAXBC, and the LOCBURST. The formats for the e-mails for the other sources of GRB locations (e.g. RXTE-PCA, -ASM, IPN, ALEXIS, HETE, INTEGRAL, Swift, etc) are very similar to these BATSE versions, and the reader is referred to the special pages for each of these GRB source postions types.
The MAXBC notices have essentially the same format (except the TITLE is different and there is a trailer after the last COMMENT line which lists the 16 maximum count rates (see below). There is no trigger_id type capability for the MAXBC notices at this time. However, with a little practice it is easy to spot a true GRB from the non-GRB triggers. True GRB triggers have a very asymmetric distribution of counts among the 8 detectors -- 2, 3, or 4 detectors will have a high count rate compared to the other 6, 5, or 4 detectors. Those are the detectors illuminated by the burst, whereas particle events tend to produce equal count rates in all 8 detectors (isotropic illumination). GRBs also htend to have hard spectra whereas Solar Flares are soft. If there is an equal amount or more counts in the C1 channels compared to the BC channels (and detector distribution is asymmetric) then it is usually a solar flare.
The Subject-lines for the E-mail Method:
For those sites/people that use daemons and/or incoming e-mail filters
the "Subject" lines for the four notices is fixed, and the strings are:
1) BACODINE_POSITION
2) BACODINE_FINAL_POSITION
3) BACODINE_MAXBC_POSITION
4) BACODINE_LOCBURST_POSITION
Examples of the Bodies of the E-mails:
TITLE: BACODINE BURST POSITION NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE: Sun 28 Apr 96 13:12:38 UT
NOTICE_TYPE: Original
TRIGGER_NUM: 5450
GRB_RA: 303.96d {+20h 15m 51s} (J2000),
303.93d {+20h 15m 43s} (current),
303.53d {+20h 14m 07s} (1950)
GRB_DEC: +41.80d {+41d 48' 05"} (J2000),
+41.79d {+41d 47' 24"} (current),
+41.65d {+41d 38' 48"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR: tbd [deg radius]
GRB_INTEN: 613 [cnts] Peak=613 [cnts/sec]
GRB_TIME: 47552.20 SOD {13:12:32.20} UT
GRB_DATE: 10201 TJD; 119 DOY; 96/04/28
GRB_SC_AZ: 341.70 [deg] {XScan=-11.38}
GRB_SC_EL: 51.05 [deg] {Zenith_angle=38.95} {Scan=37.50}
SC_X_RA: 9.31 [deg] (J2000)
SC_X_DEC: 29.20 [deg]
SC_Z_RA: 251.97 [deg]
SC_Z_DEC: 39.39 [deg]
SUN_POSTN: 36.14d {+02h 24m 34s} +14.34d {+14d 20' 37"}
SUN_DIST: 82.11 [deg]
MOON_POSTN: 158.72d {+10h 34m 53s} +5.37d {+05d 22' 14"}
MOON_DIST: 123.18 [deg]
PROG_VERSION: 4.03
PROG_LEVEL: 1
COMMENTS: Definite GRB
COMMENTS: In COMPTEL FOV. Possible COMPTEL location to follow.
TITLE: BACODINE FINAL BURST POSITION NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE: Thu 02 Oct 97 17:43:09 UT
NOTICE_TYPE: Final
TRIGGER_NUM: 6408
GRB_RA: 17.84d {+01h 11m 22s} (J2000),
17.81d {+01h 11m 14s} (current),
17.11d {+01h 08m 26s} (1950)
GRB_DEC: +48.71d {+48d 42' 43"} (J2000),
+48.70d {+48d 42' 00"} (current),
+48.45d {+48d 26' 47"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR: 6.0 [deg radius]
GRB_FLUENCE: 3402 [cnts] Peak=588 [cnts/sec] Del_t=4.6 [sec]
GRB_TIME: 63698.14 SOD {17:41:38.14} UT
GRB_DATE: 10723 TJD; 275 DOY; 97/10/02
GRB_SC_AZ: 100.57 [deg] {XScan=21.28}
GRB_SC_EL: -68.33 [deg] {Zenith_angle=158.33} {Scan=-175.83}
SC_X_RA: 165.67 [deg] (J2000)
SC_X_DEC: 32.46 [deg]
SC_Z_RA: 164.33 [deg]
SC_Z_DEC: -57.52 [deg]
SUN_POSTN: 188.79d {+12h 35m 09s} -3.79d {-03d 47' 21"}
SUN_DIST: 134.43 [deg]
MOON_POSTN: 200.44d {+13h 21m 46s} -5.72d {-05d 43' 21"}
MOON_DIST: 136.96 [deg]
PROG_VERSION: 5.16
PROG_LEVEL: 1
COMMENTS: Definite GRB.
COMMENTS: This notice is based on 6 1.024-sec samples of the light curve.
TITLE: BACODINE MAXBC BURST POSITION NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE: Sun 28 Apr 96 13:31:44 UT
NOTICE_TYPE: MAXBC
TRIGGER_NUM: 5450
GRB_RA: 301.93d {+20h 07m 44s} (J2000),
301.90d {+20h 07m 36s} (current),
301.47d {+20h 05m 53s} (1950)
GRB_DEC: +36.96d {+36d 57' 39"} (J2000),
+36.95d {+36d 57' 00"} (current),
+36.81d {+36d 48' 52"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR: tbd [deg radius]
GRB_INTEN: 4512 [cnts] Peak=4512 [cnts/sec]
GRB_TIME: 47552.20 SOD {13:12:32.20} UT
GRB_DATE: 10201 TJD; 119 DOY; 96/04/28
GRB_SC_AZ: 333.57 [deg] {XScan=-16.23}
GRB_SC_EL: 51.09 [deg] {Zenith_angle=38.91} {Scan=35.86}
SC_X_RA: 9.25 [deg] (J2000)
SC_X_DEC: 29.22 [deg]
SC_Z_RA: 251.88 [deg]
SC_Z_DEC: 39.41 [deg]
SUN_POSTN: 36.14d {+02h 24m 34s} +14.34d {+14d 20' 37"}
SUN_DIST: 84.74 [deg]
MOON_POSTN: 158.72d {+10h 34m 53s} +5.37d {+05d 22' 14"}
MOON_DIST: 125.50 [deg]
PROG_VERSION: 4.03
PROG_LEVEL: 1
COMMENTS: MAXBC Determination
MAXC1/BC Values:
C1: 28 -1 63 3 4 -3 14 1
BC: 150 15 229 25 23 6 70 7
TITLE: BACODINE/HUNTSVILLE/LOCBURST BURST POSITION NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE: Tue 30 Sep 97 00:15:12 UT
NOTICE_TYPE: Hunts_Locburst
TRIGGER_NUM: 6404
GRB_RA: 271.80d {+18h 07m 12s} (J2000),
271.69d {+18h 06m 46s} (current),
269.32d {+17h 57m 17s} (1950)
GRB_DEC: -81.39d {-81d 23' 22"} (J2000),
-81.39d {-81d 23' 23"} (current),
-81.39d {-81d 23' 31"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR: 0.3 [deg radius, statistical only]
GRB_INTEN: 22873 [cnts] Peak=22873 [cnts/sec]
GRB_TIME: 59.23 SOD {00:00:59.23} UT
GRB_DATE: 10721 TJD; 273 DOY; 97/09/30
GRB_SC_AZ: 194.55 [deg] {XScan=-8.44}
GRB_SC_EL: 54.27 [deg] {Zenith_angle=35.73} {Scan=-34.85}
SC_X_RA: 165.68 [deg] (J2000)
SC_X_DEC: 32.42 [deg]
SC_Z_RA: 165.27 [deg]
SC_Z_DEC: -57.57 [deg]
SUN_POSTN: 186.31d {+12h 25m 15s} -2.73d {-02d 43' 41"}
SUN_DIST: 86.61 [deg]
MOON_POSTN: 169.38d {+11h 17m 32s} +4.39d {+04d 23' 07"}
MOON_DIST: 96.17 [deg]
PROG_VERSION: 1.29
PROG_LEVEL: 3
COMMENTS: Locburst Coordinates.
COMMENTS: Definite GRB.
COMMENTS: In COMPTEL FOV. Possible COMPTEL location to follow.
COMMENTS: Meets the preliminary criteria for RXTE follow-up observation.
COMMENTS: Possible RXTE ToO observation to follow.
For a very detailed explanation of the contents, format, and meaning of the various fields in these e-mail notices, please see the E-Mail Method section in the technical section.