Radio Follow-Up of Einstein Probe Fast X-Ray Transients

Clicks: 3
ID: 322456
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #196 of 908 articles by views in monthly notices of the royal astronomical society

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 908 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Abstract Fast X-ray transients (FXTs) are brief, luminous bursts of soft X-ray emission whose physical origins remain uncertain. The Einstein Probe (EP) mission has recently enabled prompt discovery of these events, providing opportunities for rapid multi-wavelength follow-up. We present a coordinated radio observing campaign targeting 20 FXTs detected by the EP in 2024. The core consists of 59 epochs with the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), sampling post-burst timescales from ~1 to ~65 days and reaching typical 3σ sensitivities of 0.6–1.5 mJy across 1–8 GHz. We additionally incorporate higher-sensitivity observations from MeerKAT, the VLA, ATCA, eMERLIN, and AMI-LA. Two FXTs—EP240315a and EP241021a—have radio counterparts. For EP241021a, AMI-LA monitoring at 15.5 GHz reveals a light curve peaking at ~30 days with Fν ≈ 1.0 mJy; equipartition analysis implies a Newtonian equipartition energy of ~3 × 1049 erg and a mildly relativistic on-axis solution with Γon ≈ 1.3. Multi-frequency modelling of EP240315a, combining new VLA measurements with published MeerKAT, ATCA, and eMERLIN data, indicates highly relativistic early emission (Γ ≳ 3) that decelerates with time, consistent with jetted outflow. The detections and ATA non-detections span luminosities overlapping the brightest GRB and relativistic tidal disruption event (TDE) afterglows, suggesting FXTs comprise a heterogeneous population including both relativistic and non-relativistic explosions. Under a GRB-like redshift prior, our 3σ ATA limits correspond to observer-frame specific-luminosity thresholds of ~1032–1033 erg s−1 Hz−1; for nearby events (z ≲ 0.2), Lν ≲ 1030–31 erg s−1 Hz−1. Planned ATA upgrades and next-generation arrays (SKA, DSA, ngVLA) will enable sensitive, population-level radio studies of the FXT radio sky.
Reference Key
openalex_W7170184827 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Carmen Choza, Joe Bright, Francesco Carotenuto, Alexander W. Pollak, Rob Fender, Andrew Siemion
Journal monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stag1370
URL
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.