Abstract
We present X-ray (0.3–79 keV) and radio (0.25–203 GHz) observations of the most luminous fast blue optical transient (LFBOT) AT 2024wpp at z = 0.0868, spanning 2–280 days after first light. AT 2024wpp shows luminous (LX ≈ 1.5 × 1043 erg s−1), variable X-ray emission with a Compton hump peaking at δt ≈ 50 days. The X-ray spectrum evolves from a soft (Fν ∝ ν−0.6) to an extremely hard state (Fν ∝ ν1.26) accompanied by a rebrightening at δt ≈ 50 days. The X-ray emission properties favor an embedded high-energy source shining through asymmetric expanding ejecta. We detect radio emission peaking at L9 GHz ≈ 1.7 × 1029 erg s−1 Hz−1 at δt ≈ 73 days. The spectral evolution is unprecedented: the early millimeter fluxes rise nearly an order of magnitude during δt ≈ 17–32 days, followed by a decline in spectral peak fluxes. We model the radio emission as synchrotron radiation from an expanding blast wave interacting with a dense environment (M ̇ ∼ 10−3 M⊙ yr−1 for vw = 1000 km s−1). The inferred outflow velocities increase from Γβc ≈ 0.07c to 0.42c during δt ≈ 32–73 days, indicating an accelerating blast wave. We interpret these observations as a shock propagating through a dense shell of radius ≈1016 cm and then accelerating into a steep density profile ρCSM(r) ∝ r−3.1. All radio-bright LFBOTs exhibit similar circumstellar medium (CSM) density profiles (ρCSM ∝ r−3), suggesting similar progenitor processes. The X-ray and radio properties favor a progenitor involving super-Eddington accretion onto a compact object launching mildly relativistic disk wind outflows.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | L6 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| Volume | 993 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 24 Oct 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.