Can interaction alone explain AT2024wpp’s post-peak evolution?

Ascertain whether shock interaction between the fast ejecta and pre-existing circumstellar material, by itself, can account for the post-peak ultraviolet/optical evolution of AT2024wpp, specifically the sustained hot, featureless thermal spectrum and the contracting blackbody radius despite contemporaneous luminous X-ray emission.

Background

The paper models AT2024wpp’s early light curve as consistent with fast, optically thick ejecta that could be powered by shock interaction with dense circumstellar material. However, after peak the inferred photospheric radius contracts while the temperature remains high, and strong X-ray radiation is present—behavior atypical for standard interaction-powered supernovae where a geometrically thin, expanding shell dominates the emission.

This raises a key uncertainty about whether interaction-only models can reproduce the observed post-peak properties. Resolving this question is central to distinguishing between shock-powered versus central-engine-powered scenarios for AT2024wpp and similar LFBOTs.