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

Published 31 Aug 2025 in astro-ph.HE | (2509.00952v1)

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 ($L_{\rm X} \approx 1.5 \times 10{43}\, \rm erg\,s{-1}$), variable X-ray emission with a Compton hump peaking at $\delta t \approx 50$ days. The X-ray spectrum evolves from a soft ($F_{\nu} \propto \nu{-0.6}$) to an extremely hard state ($F_{\nu} \propto \nu{1.26}$) accompanied by a re-brightening at $\delta t \approx 50$\,days. The X-ray emission properties favor an embedded high-energy source shining through asymmetric expanding ejecta. We detect radio emission peaking at $L_{\rm 9\,GHz} \approx 1.7 \times 10{29}\,\rm erg\,s{-1}\,Hz{-1}$ at $\delta t \approx 73$ days. The spectral evolution is unprecedented: the early millimeter fluxes rise nearly an order of magnitude during $\delta t \approx 17-32$ 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 ($\dot{M} \sim 10{-3}\, \rm M_{\odot}\,yr{-1}$ for $v_{\rm w} = 1000\,\rm km\,s{-1}$). The inferred outflow velocities increase from $\Gamma \beta c \approx 0.07\, \rm to\,0.42c$ during $\delta t \approx 32-73$ days, indicating an accelerating blast-wave. We interpret these observations as a shock propagating through a dense shell of radius $\approx 10{16}$\,cm, then accelerating into a steep density profile $\rho_{\rm CSM}(r) \propto r{-3.1}$. All radio-bright LFBOTs exhibit similar circumstellar medium (CSM) density profiles ($\rho_{\rm CSM} \propto r{-3}$), 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.

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