The Most Luminous Known Fast Blue Optical Transient AT 2024wpp: Unprecedented Evolution and Properties in the X-Rays and Radio

  • A. J. Nayana
  • , Raffaella Margutti
  • , Eli Wiston
  • , Tanmoy Laskar
  • , Giulia Migliori
  • , Ryan Chornock
  • , Timothy J. Galvin
  • , Natalie LeBaron
  • , Aprajita Hajela
  • , Collin T. Christy
  • , Itai Sfaradi
  • , Daichi Tsuna
  • , Olivia Aspegren
  • , Fabio De Colle
  • , Brian D. Metzger
  • , Wenbin Lu
  • , Paz Beniamini
  • , Daniel Kasen
  • , Edo Berger
  • , Brian W. Grefenstette
  • Kate D. Alexander, G. C. Anupama, Deanne L. Coppejans, Luigi F. Cruz, David R. DeBoer, Maria R. Drout, Wael Farah, Xiaoshan Huang, W. V. Jacobson-Galán, Dan Milisavljevic, Alexander W. Pollak, Nathan J. Roth, Huei Sears, Andrew Siemion, Sofia Z. Sheikh, James F. Steiner, Indrek Vurm

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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 languageEnglish
Article numberL6
JournalAstrophysical Journal Letters
Volume993
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 24 Oct 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

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