Early Optical Follow-Up Observations of <i>Einstein Probe</i> X-Ray Transients During the First Year

Early Optical Follow-Up Observations of <i>Einstein Probe</i> X-Ray Transients During the First Year

We present early follow-up observations of <i>Einstein Probe</i> (<i>EP</i>) X-ray transients, following its first year of operation. <i>EP</i> is a dedicated wide-field X-ray observatory that is transforming our understanding of the dynamic X-ray universe. During...

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Main Authors: Siyu Wu, Ignacio Pérez-García, Alberto J. Castro-Tirado, Youdong Hu, Maria Gritsevich, María D. Caballero-García, Rubén Sánchez-Ramírez, Sergiy Guziy, Emilio J. Fernández-García, Guillermo García Segura, Carlos Pérez-del-Pulgar, Dingrong Xiong, Bin-Bin Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Galaxies
Subjects:
<i>Einstein Probe</i>
X-ray transients
follow-up observations
gamma-ray bursts
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4434/13/3/62
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Summary:We present early follow-up observations of <i>Einstein Probe</i> (<i>EP</i>) X-ray transients, following its first year of operation. <i>EP</i> is a dedicated wide-field X-ray observatory that is transforming our understanding of the dynamic X-ray universe. During its first year, <i>EP</i> successfully detected a diverse range of high-energy transients—including gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), tidal disruption events (TDEs), and fast X-ray transients (FXTs), besides many stellar flares, disseminating 128 alerts in the aggregate. Ground-based optical follow-up observations, particularly those performed by our BOOTES telescope network, have played a crucial role in multi-wavelength campaigns carried out so far. Out of the 128 events, the BOOTES Network has been able to follow up 58 events, detecting 6 optical counterparts at early times. These complementary optical measurements have enabled rapid identification of counterparts, precise redshift determinations (such as EP250215a at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>z</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>4.61</mn></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>), and detailed characterization of the transient phenomena. The synergy between <i>EP</i>’s cutting-edge X-ray monitoring and the essential optical follow-up provided by facilities, such as the above-mentioned BOOTES Global Network or other Spanish ground-based facilities we have access to, underscores the importance and necessity of coordinated observations in the era of time-domain and multi-messenger astrophysics.
ISSN:2075-4434

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