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    The Optical Luminosity Function Of Gamma-Ray Bursts Deduced From ROTSE-III Observations
    (2014-11) Cui, X. H.; Wu, X. F.; Wei, J. J.; Yuan, F.; Zheng, W. K.; Liang, E. W.; Akerlof, C. W.; Ashley, M. C. B.; Flewelling, H. A.; Gogus, E.; Guver, T.; Kiziloglu, U.; McKay, T. A.; Pandey, S. B.; Rykoff, E. S.; Rujopakarn, W.; Schaefer, B. E.; Wheeler, J. Craig; Yost, S. A.; Wheeler, J. Craig
    We present the optical luminosity function (LF) of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) estimated from a uniform sample of 58 GRBs from observations with the Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment III (ROTSE-III). Our GRB sample is divided into two sub-samples: detected afterglows (18 GRBs) and those with upper limits (40 GRBs). We derive R-band fluxes for these two sub-samples 100 s after the onset of the burst. The optical LFs at 100 s are fitted by assuming that the co-moving GRB rate traces the star formation rate. While fitting the optical LFs using Monte Carlo simulations, we take into account the detection function of ROTSE-III. We find that the cumulative distribution of optical emission at 100 s is well described by an exponential rise and power-law decay, a broken power law, and Schechter LFs. A single power-law (SPL) LF, on the other hand, is ruled out with high confidence.