Search for GeV GRBs at Chacaltaya

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of a search for GeV Gamma Ray Bursts made by the INCA experiment during the first 9 months of operation. INCA, an air shower array located at Mount Chacaltaya (Bolivia) at 5200 m a.s.l., has been searching for GRBs since December 1996. Up to August, 1997, 34 GRBs detected by BATSE occurred in the field of view of the experiment. For any burst, the counting rate of the array in the 2 hours interval around the burst trigger time has been studied. No significant excess has been observed. Assuming for the bursts a power low energy spectrum extending up to 1 TeV with a slope α=−2 and a duration of 10 s, the obtained 1 GeV-1 TeV energy fluence upper limits range from 7.9 10−5 erg cm−2 to 3.5 10−3 erg cm−2 depending on the event zenith angles.