A fast X-ray transient with chromatic flares: signatures of violent collisions induced by late-time central engine reactivation

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a luminous extragalactic fast X-ray transient with unique multi-wavelength features, indicating late-time violent shell collisions and central engine reactivation, providing new insights into high-energy transient phenomena.

Contribution

It presents the first observed case of late-time relativistic shell collision in an EFXT, linking it to central engine reactivation and jet physics.

Findings

Detected a luminous EFXT at redshift z=1.131 with unique temporal features.

Observed a needle-like X-ray flare and optical rebrightening during the afterglow.

Suggests late-time shell collision as evidence of central engine reactivation.

Abstract

Extragalactic Fast X-ray Transients (EFXTs) represent an emerging class of high-energy phenomena characterized by X-ray outbursts lasting from tens to hundreds of seconds. However, for more than half of the EFXTs, their physical origins remain elusive. In this Letter, we report the discovery of EP250302a, a luminous EFXT detected by the Einstein Probe (EP) at a redshift of $z = 1.131$. The multi-wavelength light curves of EP250302a reveal remarkable temporal features that distinguish it from the previously known EP-detected EFXT population, most notably a needle-like X-ray flare accompanied by smooth optical rebrightening during the afterglow phase. We suggest that the distinct X-ray and optical behaviors constitute the first observed instance of late-time violent collision of two relativistic shells in an EFXT. Drawing on insights from GRB studies, such a collision process strongly indicates the reactivation of a central engine, making EP250302a-like transients a unique laboratory for probing the late-time activity and jet physics of EFXT central engines.