AT2019ijn: a fast-rising, slow-decaying blue optical transient with exceptionally bright radio emission

Abstract

We report the discovery of a peculiar optical transient, AT2019ijn, occurred in the nuclear region of a dwarf galaxy at z=0.273. It rises rapidly to peak at a luminosity of Mg=-21.1 in 5 days, followed by a slow decline over more than a month, during which the optical emission has a persistently high blackbody temperature of T_BB~1.5-1.6x10^4 K. The radio emission is exceptional which peaks at 640 days after optical discovery with a high luminosity of 2x10^31 erg/s/Hz. The peak radio luminosity is at least two orders of magnitude brighter than known radio-bright fast blue optical transients and supernova explosions at similar epochs, but comparable to jetted tidal disruption events. The luminous and long-lasting radio emission with a late-time peak can be explained by an off-axis relativistic jet with a viewing angle of ~40 deg. We discuss possible origins for AT2019ijn and favor a jetted tidal disruption event involving an intermediate-mass black hole of ~10^5 Msun, although a jetted magnetar model cannot be fully ruled out. AT2019ijn represents a new class of relativistic optical transients that highlights the importance of radio surveys for discovering off-axis jetted events.