GCN Circular 40985
Subject
EP250702a/GRB250702 B,E,D: MeerKAT radio counterpart
Event
Date
2025-07-05T23:18:15Z (a day ago)
From
Joe Bright at U of Oxford <joe.bright@physics.ox.ac.uk>
Via
Web form
Authors: J. Bright (Oxford), F. Carotenuto (INAF, Rome), P. G. Jonker (Radboud), on behalf of a larger collaboration
We observed the field of EP250702a (GCN 40906; associated with GRBs 250702/B/D/E) with the MeerKAT radio telescope from 2025-07-04 17:37:32 UTC to 2025-07-04 18:39:55 UTC (with a total time on source of 44 minutes) using the S band receiver at a central frequency of 3.06 GHz. Analysing the SARAO Science Data Processor output continuum image we detect a source at the position of EP250702a with a flux density of around 100uJy/beam, with a typical image noise of around 8uJy/beam. Our detection is consistent with the upper limit reported by the Allen Telescope Array (GCN 40979).
Under the assumption of a source distance of 10 kpc we infer a radio luminosity of around 3.5e28 erg/s, consistent with X-ray binaries during the less luminous phases of their outburst cycles. The extragalactic/galactic nature of EP250702a is therefore not clarified by these observations.
Further observations will be conducted to check for variability.
We thank the SARAO staff for rapidly scheduling these observations. The MeerKAT telescope is operated by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is a facility of the National Research Foundation, an agency of the Department of Science and Innovation. This work has made use of the "MPIfR S-band receiver system" designed, constructed and maintained by funding of the MPI für Radioastronomie and the Max-Planck-Society.