GRB 260310A / SN 2026fgk: A Multi-Wavelength Study of a Nearby Underluminous Long GRB and SN with a Complex Afterglow

Abstract

We present a comprehensive multi-wavelength study of GRB 260310A / SN 2026fgk, a nearby ($z=0.153$), long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) with an exceptionally underluminous prompt $\gamma$-ray emission and a Comptonized spectrum. The burst occurred at the edge of a blue host galaxy at a projected distance of 15 kpc, which is one of the largest offsets reported for a long GRB. The bright optical afterglow, with dense coverage from COLIBRÍ, likely peaked at a few to several hours post-burst, followed by a shallow decay not expected from canonical afterglow models. Both the optical and X-ray light curves show a brief chromatic plateau from $4-7$ days. We show that the subsequent rebrightening observed at $\sim 20$ days is best explained by the combined contribution of the associated Type Ic-BL supernova, identified in GTC spectra, and a late-time refreshed shock. The broadband optical to X-ray spectral energy distribution is well described by synchrotron emission from the forward shock, while the radio observations demand an additional emission component. We model the afterglow using (a) an on-axis uniform jet from a dirty fireball with late-time energy injection and (b) a misaligned jet with power-law angular structure, both having material emitting along our line-of-sight (LOS) moving with an initial Lorentz factor of ${\Gamma }_0\sim 20-35$. We conclude that at more typical GRB distances ($z\gtrsim 0.5$) the prompt $\gamma$-ray emission from this source would likely have escaped detection, whereas its optical afterglow would have remained observable, making the event appear as an orphan afterglow or a gamma-ray quiet fast X-ray transient.

Accepted to MNRAS

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