Bibcode
Belkin, S.; Lamb, G. P.; Ackley, K.; Wortley, M. E.; McGee, S.; Schroeder, G.; Shrestha, M.; Gompertz, B. P.; Galloway, D. K.; Starling, R.; Fong, W.-f.; Laskar, T.; Liu, C.; Gordon, A. C.; Pankov, N.; Volvach, A. E.; Volvach, L. N.; Shein, A.; Pozanenko, A.; Dyer, M. J.; Lyman, J.; Ulaczyk, K.; Steeghs, D.; Dhillon, V. S.; O'Brien, P.; Ramsay, G.; Noysena, K.; Kotak, R.; Breton, R. P.; Nuttall, L. K.; Pollacco, D.; Awiphan, S.; Casares, J.; Chote, P.; Chrimes, A.; Eyles-Ferris, R.; Godson, B.; Irawati, P.; Jarvis, D.; Julakanti, Y.; Kelsey, L.; Kennedy, M. R.; Killestein, T.; Kumar, A.; Levan, A.; Littlefair, S.; Magee, M.; Mandhai, S.; Mata Sánchez, D.; Mattila, S.; McCormac, J.; Mkrtichian, D.; Moran, S.; Mullaney, J.; O'Neill, D.; Patel, M.; Pu, K.; Pursiainen, M.; Sahu, A.; Sawangwit, U.; Stanway, E.; Sun, Y.; Warwick, B.; Wiersema, K.
Referencia bibliográfica
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fecha de publicación:
8
2026
Número de citas
2
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
We present the discovery and multiwavelength follow-up of gamma-ray bursts (GRB) 250818B, detected by the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) and localized by the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer. We compile X-ray, optical/near-infrared, and radio data into broad-band light curves and spectral energy distributions. Despite being initially reported as short, the public prompt light-curve figure suggests a duration of $\sim 5$ s, arguing against a secure short-duration classification. The afterglow is unusually bright relative to short-GRB samples: in X-rays and optical it is broadly consistent with the long-GRB population, while in the radio it is among the most luminous events in the short-GRB comparison sample and remains within the long-GRB range. MeerKAT detects the source at 3.1 GHz, while the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array provides deep higher-frequency limits. Keck/LRIS spectroscopy shows continuum and metal absorption (Fe II, Mg II, Mg I), giving $z=1.216$. Synchrotron forward-shock modelling favours a constant-density medium and refreshed (energy-injection) emission, well described by a two-component jet with core isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy $E_{0}\sim 8\times 10^{52}$ erg, ambient number density $n_0\sim 12\, \mathrm{cm^{-3}}$, jet half-opening angle $\theta _j\simeq 0.13$ rad ($\sim 7.4^\circ$), and electron index $p\simeq 1.67$. We do not identify a host conclusively: the data admit either a faint LS DR10 galaxy at $\sim 4\, {\rm arcsec}$ ($\sim 34$ kpc) as an offset candidate, or a fainter, near-coincident uncatalogued host. GRB 250818B highlights the power of rapid counterpart identification in the SVOM era, while uncertain prompt classification and inconclusive host association still limit progenitor interpretation.