TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 20187 SUBJECT: Swift Trigger 722681 is probably not a GRB DATE: 16/11/17 15:36:51 GMT FROM: David Palmer at LANL C. B. Markwardt (NASA/GSFC), A. D'Ai (INAF-IASFPA), V. D'Elia (ASDC), P.A. Evans (U Leicester), H. A. Krimm (CRESST/NSF/USRA), F. E. Marshall (NASA/GSFC), B. Mingo (U Leicester), K. L. Page (U Leicester), D. M. Palmer (LANL), B. Sbarufatti (INAF-OAB/PSU) and M. H. Siegel (PSU) report on behalf of the Swift Team: At 15:13:58 UT, the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) triggered and located an image peak (trigger=722681). Swift slewed immediately to the location. The BAT on-board calculated location is RA, Dec 140.040, -51.144 which is RA(J2000) = 09h 20m 10s Dec(J2000) = -51d 08' 38" with an uncertainty of 3 arcmin (radius, 90% containment, including systematic uncertainty). As is usual with an image trigger, the BAT light curve shows no clear structure. The XRT began observing the field at 15:16:31.9 UT, 153.2 seconds after the BAT trigger. No source was detected in 789 s of promptly downlinked data. We are waiting for the full dataset to detect and localise the XRT counterpart. UVOT took a finding chart exposure of 150 seconds with the White filter starting 157 seconds after the BAT trigger. No credible afterglow candidate has been found in the initial data products. The 2.7'x2.7' sub-image covers 25% of the BAT error circle. Because of the density of catalogued stars, further analysis is required to report an upper limit for any afterglow in the sub-image. The 8'x8' region for the list of sources generated on-board covers 100% of the BAT error circle. Because of the density of catalogued stars, further analysis is required to report an upper limit for any afterglow in the region. No correction has been made for the large, but uncertain extinction expected. Although this was seen as >7 sigma peak in the on-board image, ground analysis of the immediately available data reduces this to 6.0 sigma. This, combined with the lack of a BAT count rate trigger and the non-detection by XRT indicates that this is probably not an astrophysical event. A final determination of the reality of this trigger will require the full downlinked data set. Burst Advocate for this burst is C. B. Markwardt (Craig.Markwardt AT nasa.gov). Please contact the BA by email if you require additional information regarding Swift followup of this burst. In extremely urgent cases, after trying the Burst Advocate, you can contact the Swift PI by phone (see Swift TOO web site for information: http://www.swift.psu.edu/too.html.)