AT2023fhn (the Finch): a luminous fast blue optical transient at a large offset from its host galaxy

A A Chrimes; P G Jonker; A J Levan; D L Coppejans; N Gaspari; B P Gompertz; P J Groot; D B Malesani; A Mummery; E R Stanway; K Wiersema

doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slad145

AT2023fhn (the Finch): a luminous fast blue optical transient at a large offset from its host galaxy

A A Chrimes^*, P G Jonker, A J Levan, D L Coppejans, N Gaspari, B P Gompertz, P J Groot, D B Malesani, A Mummery, E R Stanway, K Wiersema

^*Corresponding author for this work

Physics and Astronomy

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Abstract

Luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) – the prototypical example being AT 2018cow – are a rare class of events whose origins are poorly understood. They are characterized by rapid evolution, featureless blue spectra at early times, and luminous X-ray and radio emission. LFBOTs thus far have been found exclusively at small projected offsets from star-forming host galaxies. We present Hubble Space Telescope, Gemini, Chandra, and Very Large Array observations of a new LFBOT, AT 2023fhn. The Hubble Space Telescope data reveal a large offset (>3.5 half-light radii) from the two closest galaxies, both at redshift z ∼ 0.24. The location of AT 2023fhn is in stark contrast with previous events, and demonstrates that LFBOTs can occur in a range of galactic environments.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	L47–L53
Number of pages	7
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Volume	527
Issue number	1
Early online date	14 Oct 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slad145
Publication status	Published - Jan 2024

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgments:
This work is part of the research programme ATHENA with project number 184.034.002, which is (partly) financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This research has made use of computing facilities provided by the Scientific Computing Research Technology Platform of the University of Warwick. Observations analysed in this work were taken by the NASA/ESA HST under programme 17238. This research has made use of software provided by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) in the application of the CIAO package (Fruscione et al. 2006). The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. Based on observations obtained at the international Gemini Observatory, a programme of NSF’s NOIRLab, which is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation on behalf of the Gemini Observatory partnership. Finally, we thank the anonymous referee for their helpful feedback on this manuscript.

Keywords

supernovae: individual: AT 2023fhn,
nsients: supernovae
transients: tidal disruption events

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Chrimes, A. A., Jonker, P. G., Levan, A. J., Coppejans, D. L., Gaspari, N., Gompertz, B. P., Groot, P. J., Malesani, D. B., Mummery, A., Stanway, E. R., & Wiersema, K. (2024). AT2023fhn (the Finch): a luminous fast blue optical transient at a large offset from its host galaxy. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 527(1), L47–L53. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slad145

@article{660f2a9cf0b04e729dd48b23c5e1990f,

title = "AT2023fhn (the Finch): a luminous fast blue optical transient at a large offset from its host galaxy",

abstract = "Luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) – the prototypical example being AT 2018cow – are a rare class of events whose origins are poorly understood. They are characterized by rapid evolution, featureless blue spectra at early times, and luminous X-ray and radio emission. LFBOTs thus far have been found exclusively at small projected offsets from star-forming host galaxies. We present Hubble Space Telescope, Gemini, Chandra, and Very Large Array observations of a new LFBOT, AT 2023fhn. The Hubble Space Telescope data reveal a large offset (>3.5 half-light radii) from the two closest galaxies, both at redshift z ∼ 0.24. The location of AT 2023fhn is in stark contrast with previous events, and demonstrates that LFBOTs can occur in a range of galactic environments.",

keywords = "supernovae: individual: AT 2023fhn,, nsients: supernovae, transients: tidal disruption events",

author = "Chrimes, {A A} and Jonker, {P G} and Levan, {A J} and Coppejans, {D L} and N Gaspari and Gompertz, {B P} and Groot, {P J} and Malesani, {D B} and A Mummery and Stanway, {E R} and K Wiersema",

note = "Acknowledgments: This work is part of the research programme ATHENA with project number 184.034.002, which is (partly) financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This research has made use of computing facilities provided by the Scientific Computing Research Technology Platform of the University of Warwick. Observations analysed in this work were taken by the NASA/ESA HST under programme 17238. This research has made use of software provided by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) in the application of the CIAO package (Fruscione et al. 2006). The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. Based on observations obtained at the international Gemini Observatory, a programme of NSF{\textquoteright}s NOIRLab, which is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation on behalf of the Gemini Observatory partnership. Finally, we thank the anonymous referee for their helpful feedback on this manuscript.",

year = "2024",

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doi = "10.1093/mnrasl/slad145",

language = "English",

volume = "527",

pages = "L47–L53",

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issn = "1745-3933",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

number = "1",

}

Chrimes, AA, Jonker, PG, Levan, AJ, Coppejans, DL, Gaspari, N, Gompertz, BP, Groot, PJ, Malesani, DB, Mummery, A, Stanway, ER & Wiersema, K 2024, 'AT2023fhn (the Finch): a luminous fast blue optical transient at a large offset from its host galaxy', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, vol. 527, no. 1, pp. L47–L53. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slad145

TY - JOUR

T1 - AT2023fhn (the Finch)

T2 - a luminous fast blue optical transient at a large offset from its host galaxy

AU - Chrimes, A A

AU - Jonker, P G

AU - Levan, A J

AU - Coppejans, D L

AU - Gaspari, N

AU - Gompertz, B P

AU - Groot, P J

AU - Malesani, D B

AU - Mummery, A

AU - Stanway, E R

AU - Wiersema, K

N1 - Acknowledgments: This work is part of the research programme ATHENA with project number 184.034.002, which is (partly) financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This research has made use of computing facilities provided by the Scientific Computing Research Technology Platform of the University of Warwick. Observations analysed in this work were taken by the NASA/ESA HST under programme 17238. This research has made use of software provided by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) in the application of the CIAO package (Fruscione et al. 2006). The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. Based on observations obtained at the international Gemini Observatory, a programme of NSF’s NOIRLab, which is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation on behalf of the Gemini Observatory partnership. Finally, we thank the anonymous referee for their helpful feedback on this manuscript.

PY - 2024/1

Y1 - 2024/1

N2 - Luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) – the prototypical example being AT 2018cow – are a rare class of events whose origins are poorly understood. They are characterized by rapid evolution, featureless blue spectra at early times, and luminous X-ray and radio emission. LFBOTs thus far have been found exclusively at small projected offsets from star-forming host galaxies. We present Hubble Space Telescope, Gemini, Chandra, and Very Large Array observations of a new LFBOT, AT 2023fhn. The Hubble Space Telescope data reveal a large offset (>3.5 half-light radii) from the two closest galaxies, both at redshift z ∼ 0.24. The location of AT 2023fhn is in stark contrast with previous events, and demonstrates that LFBOTs can occur in a range of galactic environments.

AB - Luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) – the prototypical example being AT 2018cow – are a rare class of events whose origins are poorly understood. They are characterized by rapid evolution, featureless blue spectra at early times, and luminous X-ray and radio emission. LFBOTs thus far have been found exclusively at small projected offsets from star-forming host galaxies. We present Hubble Space Telescope, Gemini, Chandra, and Very Large Array observations of a new LFBOT, AT 2023fhn. The Hubble Space Telescope data reveal a large offset (>3.5 half-light radii) from the two closest galaxies, both at redshift z ∼ 0.24. The location of AT 2023fhn is in stark contrast with previous events, and demonstrates that LFBOTs can occur in a range of galactic environments.

KW - supernovae: individual: AT 2023fhn,

KW - nsients: supernovae

KW - transients: tidal disruption events

U2 - 10.1093/mnrasl/slad145

DO - 10.1093/mnrasl/slad145

M3 - Letter

SN - 1745-3933

VL - 527

SP - L47–L53

JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

IS - 1

ER -

AT2023fhn (the Finch): a luminous fast blue optical transient at a large offset from its host galaxy

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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