Near-infrared follow-up to the May 2008 activation of SGR 1627-41
  On 28 May 2008, the Swift satellite detected the first reactivation of SGR
1627-41 since its discovery in 1998.
  Following this event we began an observing campaign in near infrared
wavelengths to search for a possible counterpart inside the error circle of
this SGR, which is expected to show flaring activity simultaneous to the high
energy flares or at least some variability as compared to the quiescent state.
  For the follow-up we used the 0.6m REM robotic telescope at La Silla
Observatory, which allowed a fast response within 24 hours and, through
director discretionary time, the 8.2m Very Large Telescope at Paranal
Observatory. There, we observed with NACO to produce high angular resolution
imaging with the aid of adaptive optics.
  These observations represent the fastest near infrared observations after an
activation of this SGR and the deepest and highest spatial resolution
observations of the Chandra error circle.
  5 sources are detected in the immediate vicinity of the most precise X-ray
localisation of this source. For 4 of them we do not detect variability,
although the X-ray counterpart experimented a significant decay during our
observation period. The 5th source is only detected in one epoch, where we have
the best image quality, so no variability constrains can be imposed and remains
as the only plausible counterpart. We can impose a limit of Ks > 21.6
magnitudes to any other counterpart candidate one week after the onset of the
activity. Our adaptive optics imaging, with a resolution of 0.2" provides a
reference frame for subsequent studies of future periods of activity.
