Multiwavelength Analysis of GRB 250101A: From Gamma-Ray Prompt Emission to Optical Afterglow

The interaction between the relativistic jet and the circumburst medium produces a multiwavelength afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRBs). In this work, we present multiwavelength properties of GRB 250101A based on the observations of Swift, Fermi, and Mephisto. The spectral analysis of Swift/Swift B...

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Main Authors: Guowang Du, Yehao Cheng, Yuan-Pei Yang, Jun Yang, Jinghua Zhang, Dan Zhu, Yu Pan, Yuan Fang, Xingzhu Zou, Brajesh Kumar, Helong Guo, Xufeng Zhu, Yangwei Zhang, Fanchuan Kong, Chenxi Shang, Xinlei Chen, Xiangkun Liu, Xiaowei Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adea3d
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Summary:The interaction between the relativistic jet and the circumburst medium produces a multiwavelength afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRBs). In this work, we present multiwavelength properties of GRB 250101A based on the observations of Swift, Fermi, and Mephisto. The spectral analysis of Swift/Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) and Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) reveals a soft prompt spectrum with a low-energy photon index of −1.18 and a peak energy of 33 keV, and the isotropic energy is 1.4 × 10 ^52 erg. The prompt emission of GRB 250101A aligns with Type II GRBs in the Amati relation. Meanwhile, our analysis indicates that GRB 250101A is an X-ray-rich or X-ray-dominated GRB, with intrinsic properties suggesting that it is relatively softer than most classical GRBs. Optical observation with Mephisto, beginning 197 s post-trigger, shows a single power-law decay in uvgriz bands, with F _ν _,obs  ∝  t ^−0.76 ν ^−1.21 . The observed spectral index significantly exceeds theoretical predictions under standard afterglow models, suggesting a color excess of ∼0.216 mag. However, combining X-ray and optical afterglow, we find that GRB 250101A is more likely a “normal burst” rather than an “optical-dark burst,” and the dust extinction effect plays an important role in the optical blue bands. Furthermore, there is a structural change at T _0  + 2924 s in the optical light curve, indicating a density drop of ∼50% in the interstellar medium at a distance of ∼0.13 pc. Our analysis shows that this GRB clearly shows some unique characteristics in its observed X-ray-rich prompt emission as well as the circumburst environment, implying a special progenitor.
ISSN:1538-4357