GRB 140423A: A Case of Stellar Wind to Interstellar Medium Transition in the Afterglow

TL;DR

This paper reports early optical and X-ray observations of GRB 140423A, revealing a transition in the afterglow from a stellar wind to interstellar medium, consistent with an external shock model with energy injection.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed multiwavelength analysis of a wind-to-ISM transition in GRB afterglow, supported by comprehensive modeling and Monte Carlo Markov Chain fitting.

Findings

Achromatic optical and X-ray afterglow behavior.

Evidence for a wind-to-ISM transition in the circumburst medium.

Energy injection with Lorentz factor stratification explains the afterglow features.

Abstract

We present very early ground-based optical follow-up observations of GRB~140423A, which was discovered by \emph{Swift}/BAT and by {\it Fermi}/GBM. Its broadband afterglow was monitored by {\it Swift}/XRT and ground-based optical telescopes from $T_0+$70.96~s to 4.8~d after the {\it Swift}/BAT trigger. This is one more case of prompt optical emission observation. The temporal and spectral joint fit of the multiwavelength light curves of GRB 140423A reveals that achromatic behavior is consistent with the external shock model including a transition from a stellar wind to the interstellar medium (ISM) and energy injection. In terms of the optical light curves, there is an onset bump in the early afterglow with a rising index $\alpha_{\rm O,I} = -0.59 \pm 0.04$ (peaking at $t_{\rm peak}-T_0 \approx 206$~s). It then decays with a steep index $\alpha_{\rm O,II} = 1.78 \pm 0.03$, and shows a steeper to flatter "transition" with $\alpha_{\rm O,III} = 1.13 \pm 0.03$ at around $T_0 + 5000$~s. The observed X-ray afterglow reflects an achromatic behavior, as does the optical light curve. There is no obvious evolution of the spectral energy distribution between the X-ray and optical afterglow, with an average value of the photon index $\Gamma \approx 1.95$. This "transition" is consistent with an external shock model having the circumburst medium transition from a wind to the ISM, by introducing a long-lasting energy injection with a Lorentz factor stratification of the ejecta. The best parameters from Monte Carlo Markov Chain fitting are $E_{\rm K,iso} \approx 2.14\times10^{55}$ erg, $\Gamma_0 \approx 162$, $\epsilon_e \approx 0.02$, $\epsilon_B \approx 1.7\times10^{-6}$, $A_\ast \approx 1.0$, $R_t \approx 4.1\times10^{17}$ cm, $n \approx 11.0 \rm\ cm^{-3}$, $L_0 \approx 3.1\times10^{52} \rm\ erg\ s^{-1}$, $k \approx 1.98$, $s \approx 1.54$, and $\theta_j > 0.3$ rad.