Is There a 1998bw-like Supernova in the Afterglow of Gamma-Ray Burst 011121?

Abstract

We use the very simple and successful cannonball model of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows (AGs) to analyze the observations of the strongly extinct optical AG of the relatively nearby GRB 011121; these observations were made with ground-based telescopes at early times and with the Hubble Space Telescope at later times. We show that GRB 011121 was indeed associated with a 1998bw-like supernova at the GRB's redshift, as we had specifically predicted for this GRB before the supernova could be observed.