arXiv subjects

Shao-Yu Fu

Publications and source records attributed to Shao-Yu Fu.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

EP251023a: A fast X-ray transient featuring a magnetar-powered optical internal plateau followed by a steep decay

EP251023a is an extragalactic fast X-ray transient (eFXT) detected solely by EP without a gamma-ray counterpart. The prompt emission consists of a main emission with a duration $T_{90}=292\pm19$ s, followed by a long-lasting tail emission that persists until the observation ends at $T_0+1571$ s. With the upper limit of Konus--Wind, we derived a conservative upper limit on the isotropic gamma-ray energy $E_{\gamma,\rm{iso}}$ of $5.7 \times 10^{52}$ erg for the main emission phase. A redshift of $z = 2.232\pm0.001$ is identified from strong absorption features in the Keck spectrum, which also indicate a relatively low host-galaxy HI column density. Based on the broadband spectral energy distribution, the late-time light curves show an achromatic plateau, followed by an extremely steep decay with a slope of 3.99 after a break at about 49 ks, which is consistent with a rapidly spinning millisecond magnetar engine. Under the isotropic wind scenario, we obtain the initial period $P_0<2.27$~ms and the magnetic field strength $B_p<8.33\times10^{14}$~G for the magnetar; whereas considering a jet collimation with a typical opening angle of 0.1 rad relaxes these constraints to $P_0<32.15$~ms and $B_p<1.18\times10^{16}$~G. Together with GRB\,070707, EP251023a may represent a rare class of optical magnetar-powered internal plateaus with little external-shock contamination, unlike previous examples detected primarily in X-rays. Future discoveries of similar events will help clarify the relationship between magnetar-powered internal emission observed in the optical band and that detected only in X-rays.

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arXiv2026

Infrared Echoes of Precessing Tidal Disruption Events

A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when a star is torn apart by a supermassive black hole. The resulting UV/optical flare irradiates parsec-scale dust, producing delayed mid-infrared echoes that persist for years. These echoes provide unique calorimetric probes of the total radiated energy and dust geometry. Existing models usually assume static axisymmetric illumination patterns. However, the TDE accretion disk is likely misaligned and undergoes relativistic precession. In this work, we present a theoretical framework for infrared dust echoes from a precessing TDE disk. The precession will lead to highly variable infrared light curves, which can be revealed by high-cadence observations. The overall profile of the infrared light curves shows double-peaked to single-peaked pattern transitions as a result of the changes in the viewing angle or precession angle. The results indicate that infrared echoes are dynamic tracers of the evolving lighting patterns of the central engine.

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arXiv2026

A fast X-ray transient with chromatic flares: signatures of violent collisions induced by late-time central engine reactivation

Extragalactic Fast X-ray Transients (EFXTs) represent an emerging class of high-energy phenomena characterized by X-ray outbursts lasting from tens to hundreds of seconds. However, for more than half of the EFXTs, their physical origins remain elusive. In this Letter, we report the discovery of EP250302a, a luminous EFXT detected by the Einstein Probe (EP) at a redshift of $z = 1.131$. The multi-wavelength light curves of EP250302a reveal remarkable temporal features that distinguish it from the previously known EP-detected EFXT population, most notably a needle-like X-ray flare accompanied by smooth optical rebrightening during the afterglow phase. We suggest that the distinct X-ray and optical behaviors constitute the first observed instance of late-time violent collision of two relativistic shells in an EFXT. Drawing on insights from GRB studies, such a collision process strongly indicates the reactivation of a central engine, making EP250302a-like transients a unique laboratory for probing the late-time activity and jet physics of EFXT central engines.

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arXiv2026

Investigating the Circumnuclear Medium of Tidal Disruption Events with Radio Observations

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) are unique tools for investigating quiescent supermassive black hole (SMBH), accretion physics, and circumnuclear medium (CNM) environments. The CNM density profile is of great astrophysical significance, since it provides key diagnostics for the accretion history of dormant SMBH. TDEs can launch outflows that produce radio emission when propagating into the CNM. The closure relation (CR), i.e., the relation between the temporal indices and the spectral indices, are therefore monitoring the CNM density profile. In this work, we first collect 53 TDEs with radio observations to date. We then obtain the predicted CR for arbitrary CNM and different dynamical phases of the outflow, and apply to the radio TDE sample. We constrain the CNM density profile for 26 radio TDEs with good data quality. The results are generally consistent with those estimated with equipatition method, suggesting that CR analysis is efficient in the study of CNM profile for a quiescent SMBH.

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arXiv2026

IGR J12580+0134: A Possible Repeated Partial Tidal Disruption Event Inferred from Late-Time Radio Re-brightenin

Repeating partial tidal disruption events (pTDEs) provide a direct probe of stellar orbits and episodic mass loss around supermassive black holes, but robust identification requires multi-band and multi-epoch evidence. %consistent with a single physical origin. We investigate whether the late-time radio rebrightening of the nuclear transient IGR~J12580+0134 in NGC~4845 can be explained as a repeating pTDE, using multi-epoch Karl G.\ Jansky VLA observations together with X-ray constraints from \textit{Swift}/XRT and \textit{NICER}. Through a systematic analysis of the radio data, we identify two well-defined radio flares and a possible third late-time rebrightening flare. Modeling the second flare with a synchrotron afterglow framework using Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting is consistent with a sub-relativistic outflow with a characteristic velocity of order ${v \simeq 0.3c}$, an isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy of order ${10^{50}}$ erg, and an approximately constant-density circumnuclear medium. No significant contemporaneous brightening is detected by \textit{Swift}/XRT during the 2016 radio flare, while faint \textit{NICER} flares in 2023 suggest intermittent low-level accretion. We also considered several possible interpretations for the late-time radio rebrightening, and found that the repeated pTDE scenario provides a more natural overall explanation for the observed phenomenology. Given the currently sparse data coverage, continued sensitive radio and X-ray monitoring will be essential to test this interpretation and to search for future reactivations.

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arXiv2025

GRB 240825A: Early Reverse Shock and Its Physical Implications

Early multiwavelength observations offer crucial insights into the nature of the relativistic jets responsible for gamma-ray bursts and their interaction with the surrounding medium.We present data of GRB 240825A from 17 space- and ground-based telescopes/instruments, covering wavelengths from NIR/optical to X-ray and GeV, and spanning from the prompt emission to the afterglow phase triggered by Swift and Fermi. The early afterglow observations were carried out by SVOM/C-GFT, and spectroscopic observations of the afterglow by GTC, VLT, and TNG determined the redshift of the burst ($z = 0.659$) later.A comprehensive analysis of the prompt emission spectrum observed by Swift-BAT and Fermi-GBM/LAT reveals a rare and significant high-energy cutoff at ~76 MeV. Assuming this cutoff is due to $\gamma\gamma$ absorption allows us to place an upper limit on the initial Lorentz factor, $\Gamma_0 < 245$. The optical/NIR and GeV afterglow light curves be described by the standard external shock model, with early-time emission dominated by a reverse shock (RS) and a subsequent transition to forward shock (FS) emission. Our afterglow modelling yields a consistent estimate of the initial Lorentz factor ($\Gamma_{\rm 0} \sim 234$). Furthermore, the RS-to-FS magnetic field ratio ($\mathcal{R}_B \sim 302$) indicates that the reverse shock region is significantly more magnetized than the FS region. An isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy of $E_{\text{k,iso}} = 5.25 \times 10^{54}$ erg is derived, and the corresponding $\gamma$-ray radiation efficiency is estimated to be $\eta_{\gamma}$ = 3.1%. On the other hand, the standard afterglow model can not reproduce the X-ray light curve of GRB 240825A, calling for improved models to characterize all multiwavelength data.

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arXiv2025

Spectral Hardening Reveals Afterglow Emergence in Long-Duration Fast X-ray Transients: A Case Study of GRB 250404A/EP250404a

The prompt emission and afterglow phases of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been extensively studied, yet the transition between these two phases remains inadequately characterized due to limited multiwavelength observational coverage. Among the recent growing samples of fast X-ray transients observed by Einstein Probe (EP), a subgroup of GRBs are captured with long-duration X-ray emission, potentially containing featured evolution from prompt emission to the afterglow phase. In this Letter, we present a detailed analysis of GRB 250404A/EP250404a, a bright fast X-ray transient detected simultaneously by EP and the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor in X-rays and gamma rays. Its continuous X-ray emission reveals a long-duration tail, accompanied by distinct spectral evolution manifested by the spectral index $\alpha_{\rm X}$ with an initial softening, followed by an evident hardening, eventually reaching a plateau at the value of $\sim$ -2. Early optical and near-infrared observations enable broadband modeling with forward- and reverse-shock components, confirming that the X-ray hardening signals the emergence of the external-shock afterglow. From this spectral hardening we infer that the prompt phase in soft X-rays lasted $\sim300\;\mathrm{s}$, which is more than 3 times longer than the gamma-ray $T_{90}$. This well-tracked soft-hard-flat spectral pattern provides a clear indication of afterglow emergence from the fading prompt emission and offers a practical criterion for identifying a distinct population of GRBs among fast X-ray transients, even when the detection of the gamma-ray counterpart or obvious temporal break is absent.

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arXiv2025

EP240801a/XRF 240801B: An X-ray Flash Detected by the Einstein Probe and Implications of its Multiband Afterglow

We present multiband observations and analysis of EP240801a, a low-energy, extremely soft gamma-ray burst (GRB) discovered on August 1, 2024 by the Einstein Probe (EP) satellite, with a weak contemporaneous signal also detected by Fermi/GBM. Optical spectroscopy of the afterglow, obtained by GTC and Keck, identified the redshift of $z = 1.6734$. EP240801a exhibits a burst duration of 148 s in X-rays and 22.3 s in gamma-rays, with X-rays leading by 80.61 s. Spectral lag analysis indicates the gamma-ray signal arrived 8.3 s earlier than the X-rays. Joint spectral fitting of EP/WXT and Fermi/GBM data yields an isotropic energy $E_{\gamma,\rm{iso}} = (5.57^{+0.54}_{-0.50})\times 10^{51}\,\rm{erg}$, a peak energy $E_{\rm{peak}} = 14.90^{+7.08}_{-4.71}\,\rm{keV}$, a fluence ratio $\rm S(25-50\,\rm{keV})/S(50-100\,\rm{keV}) = 1.67^{+0.74}_{-0.46}$, classifying EP240801a as an X-ray flash (XRF). The host-galaxy continuum spectrum, inferred using Prospector, was used to correct its contribution for the observed outburst optical data. Unusual early $R$-band behavior and EP/FXT observations suggest multiple components in the afterglow. Three models are considered: two-component jet model, forward-reverse shock model and forward-shock model with energy injection. Both three provide reasonable explanations. The two-component jet model and the energy injection model imply a relatively small initial energy and velocity of the jet in the line of sight, while the forward-reverse shock model remains typical. Under the two-component jet model, EP240801a may resemble GRB 221009A (BOAT) if the bright narrow beam is viewed on-axis. Therefore, EP240801a can be interpreted as an off-beam (narrow) jet or an intrinsically weak GRB jet. Our findings provide crucial clues for uncovering the origin of XRFs.

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arXiv2025

GRB 241030A: a prompt thermal X-ray emission component and diverse origin of the very early UVOT WHITE and U band emission

We present a detailed analysis of the long-duration GRB 241030A detected by {\it Swift}. Thanks to the rapid response of XRT and UVOT, the strongest part of the prompt emission of GRB 241030A has been well measured simultaneously from optical to hard X-ray band. The time-resolved WHITE band emission shows strong variability, largely tracing the activity of the prompt gamma-ray emission, may be produced by internal shocks too. The joint analysis of the XRT and BAT data reveals the presence of a thermal component with a temperature of a few keV, which can be interpreted as the photosphere radiation, and the upper limit of the Lorentz factor of this region is found to range between approximately 20 and 80. The time-resolved analysis of the initial U-band exposure data yields a very rapid rise ($ \sim t^{5.3}$) with a bright peak reaching 13.6 AB magnitude around 410 seconds, which is most likely attributed to the onset of the external shock emission. The richness and fineness of early observational data have made this burst a unique sample for studying the various radiation mechanisms of gamma-ray bursts.

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arXiv2024

GRB 211024B: an ultra-long GRB powered by magnetar

Ultra-long gamma-ray bursts (ULGRBs) are characterized by exceptionally long-duration central engine activities, with characteristic timescales exceeding 1000 seconds. We present ground-based optical afterglow observations of the ultra-long gamma-ray burst GRB 211024B, detected by \textit{Swift}. Its X-ray light curve exhibits a characteristic ``internal plateau" with a shallow decay phase lasting approximately $\sim 15$ ks, followed by a steep decline ($\alpha_{\rm drop}\sim-7.5$). Moreover, the early optical emission predicted by the late r-band optical afterglow is significantly higher than the observed value, indicating an external shock with energy injection. To explain these observations, we propose a magnetar central engine model. The magnetar collapse into a black hole due to spin-down or hyperaccretion, leading to the observed steep break in the X-ray light curve. The afterglow model fitting reveals that the afterglow injection luminosity varies with different assumptions of the circumburst medium density, implying different potential energy sources. For the interstellar medium (ISM) case with a fixed injection end time, the energy may originate from the magnetar's dipole radiation. However, in other scenarios, relativistic jets produced by the magnetar/black hole system could be the primary energy source.

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arXiv2024

Unveiling the Multifaceted GRB 200613A: Prompt Emission Dynamics, Afterglow Evolution, and the Host Galaxy's Properties

We present our optical observations and multi-wavelength analysis of the GRB\,200613A detected by \texttt{Fermi} satellite. Time-resolved spectral analysis of the prompt $\gamma$-ray emission was conducted utilizing the Bayesian block method to determine statistically optimal time bins. Based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), the data generally favor the Band+Blackbody (short as BB) model. We speculate that the main Band component comes from the Blandford-Znajek mechanism, while the additional BB component comes from the neutrino annihilation process. The BB component becomes significant for a low-spin, high-accretion rate black hole central engine, as evidenced by our model comparison with the data. The afterglow light curve exhibits typical power-law decay, and its behavior can be explained by the collision between the ejecta and constant interstellar medium (ISM). Model fitting yields the following parameters: $E_{K,iso} = (2.04^{+11.8}_{-1.50})\times 10^{53}$ erg, $\Gamma_0=354^{+578}_{-217}$, $p=2.09^{+0.02}_{-0.03}$, $n_{18}=(2.04^{+9.71}_{-1.87})\times 10^{2}$ cm$^{-3}$, $\theta_j=24.0^{+6.50}_{-5.54}$ degree, $\epsilon_e=1.66^{+4.09}_{-1.39})\times 10^{-1}$ and $\epsilon_B=(7.76^{+48.5}_{-5.9})\times 10^{-6}$. In addition, we employed the public Python package \texttt{Prospector} perform a spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling of the host galaxy. The results suggest that the host galaxy is a massive galaxy ($\log(M_\ast / M_\odot)=11.75^{+0.10}_{-0.09}$) with moderate star formation rate ($\mbox{SFR}=22.58^{+13.63}_{-7.22} M_{\odot}$/yr). This SFR is consistent with the SFR of $\sim 34.2 M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ derived from the [OII] emission line in the observed spectrum.

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arXiv2024

Triggering the Untriggered: The First Einstein Probe-Detected Gamma-Ray Burst 240219A and Its Implications

The Einstein Probe (EP) achieved its first detection and localization of a bright X-ray flare, EP240219a, on 2024 February 19, during its commissioning phase. Subsequent targeted searches triggered by the EP240219a alert identified a faint, untriggered gamma-ray burst (GRB) in the archived data of Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), and Insight-HXMT/HE. The EP Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) light curve reveals a long duration of approximately 160 s with a slow decay, whereas the Fermi/GBM light curve shows a total duration of approximately 70 s. The peak in the Fermi/GBM light curve occurs slightly later with respect to the peak seen in the EP/WXT light curve. Our spectral analysis shows that a single cutoff power-law (PL) model effectively describes the joint EP/WXT--Fermi/GBM spectra in general, indicating coherent broad emission typical of GRBs. The model yielded a photon index of $\sim -1.70 \pm 0.05$ and a peak energy of $\sim 257 \pm 134$ keV. After detection of GRB 240219A, long-term observations identified several candidates in optical and radio wavelengths, none of which was confirmed as the afterglow counterpart during subsequent optical and near-infrared follow-ups. The analysis of GRB 240219A classifies it as an X-ray rich GRB (XRR) with a high peak energy, presenting both challenges and opportunities for studying the physical origins of X-ray flashes, XRRs, and classical GRBs. Furthermore, linking the cutoff PL component to nonthermal synchrotron radiation suggests that the burst is driven by a Poynting flux-dominated outflow.

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arXiv2023

AT2022cmc: a Tidal Disruption Event with Two-component Jet in a Bondi-profile Circumnuclear Medium

A supermassive black hole can launch a relativistic jet when it violently disrupts a star that passes too close. Such jetted tidal disruption events (TDEs) are rare and unique tools to investigate quiescent supermassive black holes, jet physics, and circumnuclear environment at high redshift. The newly discovered TDE AT2022cmc ($z\sim 1.193$) providing rich multi-band (X-ray, UV, optical, sub-millimeter, and radio) data, has been interpreted as the fourth on-axis jetted TDE. In this work, we constrain the circumnuclear medium (CNM) density profile with both closure relation (CR) test and detailed forward shock model fit with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to the multi-band (optical, sub-millimeter, and radio) data of AT2022cmc.We find that the CNM density profile of AT2022cmc is $n\propto R^{-k}$ with $k \sim 1.68$, implying a Bondi accretion in history. Furthermore, our model fit result suggests a two-component jet in AT2022cmc, indicating a similar jet physics to well-studied jetted TDE Sw J1644+57.

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arXiv2023

Optical and Near-infrared Observations of the Distant but Bright 'New Year's Burst' GRB 220101A

High-redshift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) provide a powerful tool to probe the early universe, but still for relatively few do we have good observations of the afterglow. We here report the optical and near-infrared observations of the afterglow of a relatively high-redshift event, GRB\,220101A, triggered on New Year's Day of 2022. With the optical spectra obtained at XL2.16/BFOSC and NOT/ALFOSC, we determine the redshift of the burst at $z= 4.615$. Based on our optical and near-infrared data, combined with the X-ray data, we perform multiband fit with the python package \emph{afterglowpy}. A jet-break at $\sim$ 0.7 day post-burst is found to constrain the opening angle of the jet as $\sim$ 3.4 degree. We also determine circumburst density of $n_0 = 0.15\ {\rm cm}^{-3}$ as well as kinetic energy $E_{\rm K, iso} = 3.52\times 10^{54}$ erg. The optical afterglow is among the most luminous ever detected. We also find a ``mirror'' feature in the lightcurve during the prompt phase of the burst from 80 s to 120 s. The physical origin of such mirror feature is unclear.

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arXiv2023

Photometric and Spectroscopic Observations of GRB 190106A: Emission from Reverse and Forward Shocks with Late-time Energy Injection

Early optical observations of gamma-ray bursts can significantly contribute to the study of the central engine and physical processes therein. However, of the thousands observed so far, still only a few have data at optical wavelengths in the first minutes after the onset of the prompt emission. Here we report on GRB\,190106A, whose afterglow was observed in optical bands just 36 s after the {\em Swift}/BAT trigger, i.e., during the prompt emission phase. The early optical afterglow exhibits a bimodal structure followed by a normal decay, with a faster decay after $\sim \rm T_{0}+$1 day. We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of GRB\,190106A. We derive the redshift via metal absorption lines from Xinglong 2.16-m/BFOSC spectroscopic observations. From the BFOSC spectrum, we measure $z= 1.861\pm0.002$. The double-peak optical light curve is a significant feature predicted by the reverse-forward external shock model. The shallow decay followed by a normal decay in both the X-ray and optical light curves is well explained with the standard forward-shock model with late-time energy injection. Therefore, GRB\,190106A offers a case study for GRBs emission from both reverse and forward shocks.

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arXiv2022

The Peculiar Precursor of a Gamma-Ray Burst from a Binary Merger Involving a Magnetar

The milestone discovery of GW 170817-GRB 170817A-AT 2017gfo has shown that gravitational wave (GW) could be produced during the merger of neutron star-neutron star/black hole and that in electromagnetic (EM) wave a gamma-ray burst (GRB) and a kilonova (KN) are generated in sequence after the merger. Observationally, however, EM property before the merger phase is still unclear. Here we report a peculiar precursor in a KN-associated long-duration GRB 211211A, providing evidence of the EM before the merger. This precursor lasts $\sim$ 0.2 s, and the waiting time between the precursor and the main burst is $\sim$ 1 s, comparable to that between GW 170817 and GRB 170817A. The spectrum of the precursor could be well fit with a non-thermal cutoff power-law model instead of a blackbody. Especially, a $\sim$22 Hz Quasi-Periodic Oscillation candidate ($\sim 3\sigma$) is detected in the precursor. These temporal and spectral properties indicate that this precursor is probably produced by a catastrophic flare accompanying with magnetoelastic or crustal oscillations of a magnetar in binary compact merger. The strong magnetic field of the magnetar can also account for the prolonged duration of GRB 211211A. However, it poses a challenge to reconcile the rather short lifetime of a magnetar with the rather long spiraling time of a binary neutron star system only by the GW radiation before merger.

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arXiv2017

The Ratio of the Core to the Extended Emissions in the Comoving Frame for Blazars

In a two-component jet model, the emissions are the sum of the core and extended emissions: $S^{\rm ob}=S_{\rm core}^{\rm ob}+S_{\rm ext}^{\rm ob}$, with the core emissions, $S_{\rm core}^{\rm ob}= f S_{\rm ext}^{\rm ob}δ^{q}$, being a function of the Doppler factor, $δ$, the extended emission, $S_{\rm ext}^{\rm ob}$, jet type dependent factor, $q$, and the ratio of the core to the extended emissions in the comoving frame, $f$. The $f$ is an unobservable but important parameter. Following our previous work, we collect 65 blazars with available Doppler factor, $δ$, superluminal velocity, $β_{app}$, and core-dominance parameter, $R$, calculate the ratio, $f$, and peform statistical analyses. We find that the ratio, $f$, in BL Lacs is on average larger than that in FSRQs. We suggest that the difference of the ratio $f$ between FSRQs and BL Lacs is one of the possible reasons that cause the difference of other observed properties between them. We also find some significant correlations between $\log f$ and other parameters, including intrinsic (de-beamed) peak frequency, $\log ν_{\rm p}^{\rm in}$, intrinsic polarization, $\log P^{\rm in}$, and core-dominance parameter, $\log R$, for the whole sample. In addition, we show that the ratio, $f$, can be estimated by $R$.

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