A continued search for transient events in the COBE DMR database simultaneous with cosmic gamma-ray bursts

We report on the status of our ongoing project to search the database of the COBE Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) experiment for transient signals at microwave wavelengths simultaneous with cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). To date we have carried out a complete search of the DMR database using burst positions taken from the original BATSE 1B catalog for the eight-month period of overlap (May–December 1991) corresponding to the first public release of COBE data. We are currently repeating our original search of the COBE DMR database using the revised burst positions of the newly-released BATSE 3B catalog. Using BATSE 1B positions, at least two apparent simultaneous observations of GRBs by the COBE DMR occurred in 1991, along with a number of “near misses” within 30 seconds in time. At present, only upper limits to burst microwave emission are indicated. Even in the event of a non-detection of a GRB by the COBE DMR, unprecedented observational limits will still be obtained, constraining the predictio...