Low-frequency radio view of a fast-blue optical transient - AT2018cow

Abstract

We present low-frequency (0.40 – 1.25 GHz) radio observations and modeling of a Fast Blue Optical Transient (FBOT), AT2018cow [Nayana & Chandra(2021)]. Our data are best modeled as an inhomogeneous synchrotron emitting region expanding into an ionized circumstellar medium. We estimate the mass-loss rate of the progenitor star and shock parameters at multiple epochs post-explosion and find that the progenitor has gone through an enhanced phase of mass-loss close to its end-of-life.