Prediction of Multi-Wavelength Afterglows Associated with FRB 20200120E and FRB 20201124A

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical model to predict multi-wavelength afterglows of repeating FRBs in binary systems, emphasizing radio detectability and environmental influences, to aid understanding of FRB origins.

Contribution

It introduces a unified framework for modeling FRB afterglows across multiple wavelengths and applies it to two specific repeaters, providing predictions for their observability.

Findings

Radio afterglows are the most detectable, especially with future telescopes like SKA.

Optical afterglows could be detectable in dense environments with LSST.

X-ray afterglows are generally too faint for current instruments.

Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are mysterious radio transients with uncertain origins and environments. Recent studies suggest that some active FRBs may originate from compact objects in binary systems. In this work, we develop a unified theoretical framework to model the multi-wavelength afterglows of FRBs resided in binary systems and apply it to two representative repeaters, FRB 20200120E and FRB 20201124A. By solving the dynamics and radiation processes of FRB ejecta interacting with the surrounding medium, we compute afterglow light curves in the radio, optical, and X-ray bands. Our results show that radio afterglows offer the best prospects for detection, with their brightness highly sensitive to ejecta kinetic energy and ambient density. Future high-sensitivity radio telescopes, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), could detect these signals. Optical afterglows, though short-lived and challenging to observe, may be significantly enhanced in dense environments, potentially making them detectable with facilities like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). In contrast, X-ray afterglows are predicted to be too faint for detection with current instruments. Our study highlights the potential of multi-wavelength afterglows as probes of FRB progenitors and their surrounding environments, offering crucial insights into the nature of these mysterious transients.