We present optical/UV photometric and spectroscopic observations, as well as X-ray and radio follow-up, of the extraordinary event AT2019cmw. With a peak bolometric luminosity of ⁠~ 10^45.6 erg s^-1, it is one of the most luminous thermal transients ever discovered. Extensive spectroscopic follow-up post-peak showed only a featureless continuum throughout its evolution. This, combined with its nuclear location, blue colour at peak and lack of prior evidence of an AGN in its host lead us to interpret this event as a ‘featureless’ tidal disruption event (TDE). It displays photometric evolution atypical of most TDEs, cooling from ~ 30 to ~ 10kK in the first ~ 300 d post-peak, with potential implications for future photometric selection of candidate TDEs. No X-ray or radio emission is detected, placing constraints on the presence of on-axis jetted emission or a visible inner-accretion disc. Modelling the optical light curve with existing theoretical prescriptions, we find that AT2019cmw may be the result of the disruption of a star in the tens of solar masses by a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Combined with a lack of detectable star formation in its host galaxy, it could imply the existence of a localized region of star formation around the SMBH. This could provide a new window to probe nuclear star formation and the shape of the initial mass function (IMF) in close proximity to SMBHs out to relatively high redshifts.

The Zwicky Transient Facility Census of the Local Universe survey yielded a sample of 330 Type IIP supernovae (SNe) with well-constrained peak luminosities. In paper I, we measured their luminosity function and volumetric rate. Here (paper II), we present the largest systematic study of lightcurve properties for Type IIP SNe from a volume-limited survey, analyzing a selected subset of 129 events, including 16 low-luminosity Type IIP (LLIIP) SNe with M_r,peak ≥ −16 mag. We find that plateau slope correlates with peak brightness, with many LLIIP SNe showing positive slopes—suggesting smaller progenitor radii and distinct density profiles compared to brighter Type IIP SNe. The plateau duration shows only a weak dependence on peak brightness, likely suggesting binary interaction. One SN exhibits a plateau-to-tail drop of >3.5 mag, consistent with an electron-capture or failed SN with very low or zero nickel mass. We derive explosion and progenitor parameters of the entire Type IIP SN sample using semi-analytical and radiation-hydrodynamical models. Based on radiation-hydrodynamical model fitting, LLIIP SNe are characterized by low nickel masses (0.001–0.025 M_⊙), low explosion energies (0.1–0.28 × 10⁵¹ erg), low ejecta masses (8.1 ^+0.8 _-1.7 M_⊙), and ZAMS masses below 11 M_⊙. In comparison, the full Type IIP SN sample spans a wider range with nickel masses (0.001–0.222 M_⊙), explosion energies (0.10-4.43 × 10⁵¹ erg), ejecta masses (5.4–24.8 M_⊙), and ZAMS masses (9.3-16.7 M_⊙). We find strong correlations between peak brightness, explosion energy, and nickel mass that extend to the low-luminosity end. We conclude that LLIIP SNe represent the faint, low-energy end of the Type IIP population and originate from the lowest-mass core-collapse progenitors.

We present observations of SN 2023xgo, a transitional Type Ibn/Icn SN, from −5.6 to 63 d relative to r-band peak. Early spectra show C iii  λ5696 emission like Type Icn SNe, shifting to Type Ibn features. The He i velocities (1800–10 000 km s⁠⁻¹) and pseudo-equivalent widths are among the highest in the Ibn/Icn class. The light curve declines at 0.14 mag d⁻¹ until 30 d, matching SNe Ibn/Icn but slower than fast transients. SN 2023xgo is the faintest in our SN Ibn sample (M_r = −17.65 ± 0.04⁠⁠) but shows typical colour and host properties. Semi-analytical modelling of the light curve suggests a compact CSM shell (∼ 10¹²–10¹³ cm), mass-loss rate between 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻³ M_☉ yr⁻¹ with CSM and ejecta masses of ∼0.22 and 0.12 M_⁠☉, respectively. Post-maximum light-curve, spectral modelling favours a ∼3 M_☉ helium star progenitor with extended (⁠∼ 10¹⁵ cm), stratified CSM (density exponent of 2.9) and mass-loss rate of 0.1 − 2.7 M_☉ yr⁠⁻¹. These two mass-loss regimes imply a radially varying CSM, shaped by asymmetry or changes in the progenitor’s mass-loss over time. This mass-loss behaviour fits both binary and single-star evolution. Early Icn-like features stem from hot carbon ionization, fading to Ibn-like with cooling. SN 2023xgo thus offers rare insight into the connection between SNe Icn, Ibn, and SNe Ibn with ejecta signatures.

We present a multiwavelength analysis of the fast X-ray transient EP241021a, discovered by the Wide-field X-ray Telescope aboard the Einstein Probe satellite on 2024 October 21. The event was not detected in gamma-rays. Follow-up observations from ~1.5 to 100 d post-trigger were obtained across X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared, and radio bands with ground- and space-based facilities. The redshift is constrained to z=0.7485 from prominent optical spectral features. The optical light curve shows complex evolution: an initial ~ t^-0.7 decay, followed by a rapid re-brightening peaking at day 7.7 with  ~ t^-1.7 decay, and a third phase peaking near day 19 with ~ t^-1.3 decay. The spectral energy distribution (SED) and its temporal evolution are consistent with a mix of non-thermal and thermal components. Early optical-to-X-ray spectral indices agree with optically thin synchrotron emission, while steepening of the optical SED after ~20 d indicates either a shift in emission mechanism or the emergence of an additional component. Although broad-lined absorption features are absent, comparisons with Type Ic-BL supernovae suggest an SN contribution at late times, suggesting a collapsar origin for EP241021a. The likely SN in EP241021a appears to require an additional energy source beyond ⁵⁶Ni decay. These results support the view that some fast X-ray transients detected by the Einstein Probe arise from massive stellar explosions.

Observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows have begun to readily reveal contamination from a kilonova or a supernova. This contamination presents significant challenges towards traditional methods of inferring the properties of these phenomena from observations. Given current knowledge of kilonova and afterglow modelling, observations – as expected – with near-infrared bands and at early observing times provide the greatest diagnostic power for both observing the presence of a kilonova and inferences on its properties in GRB afterglows. However, contemporaneous observations in radio and X-ray are critical for reducing the afterglow parameter space and for more efficient parameter estimation. We compare different methods for fitting joint kilonova and afterglow observations under different scenarios. We find that ignoring the contribution of one source (even in scenarios where the source is sub-dominant) can lead to significantly biased estimated parameters but could still produce great light-curve fits that do not raise suspicion. This bias is also present for analyses that fit data where one source is ‘subtracted’. In most scenarios, the bias is smaller than the systematic uncertainty inherent to kilonova models but significant for afterglow parameters, particularly in the absence of high-quality radio and X-ray observations. Instead, we show that the most reliable method for inference in any scenario where contamination cannot be confidently dismissed is to jointly fit for both an afterglow and kilonova/supernova, and showcase a Bayesian framework to make this joint analysis computationally feasible.

Context. Gravitationally lensed type Ia supernovae (glSNe Ia) are unique astronomical tools that can be used to study cosmological parameters, distributions of dark matter, the astrophysics of the supernovae, and the intervening lensing galaxies themselves. A small number of highly magnified glSNe Ia have been discovered by ground-based telescopes such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), but simulations predict that a fainter, undetected population may also exist. Aims. We present a systematic search for glSNe Ia in the ZTF archive of alerts distributed from June 1 2019 to September 1 2022. Methods. Using the AMPEL platform, we developed a pipeline that distinguishes candidate glSNe Ia from other variable sources. Initial cuts were applied to the ZTF alert photometry (with constraints on the peak absolute magnitude and the distance to a catalogue-matched galaxy, as examples) before forced photometry was obtained for the remaining candidates. Additional cuts were applied to refine the candidates based on their light curve colours, lens galaxy colours, and the resulting parameters from fits to the SALT2 SN Ia template. The candidates were also cross-matched with the DESI spectroscopic catalogue. Results. Seven transients were identified that passed all the cuts and had an associated galaxy DESI redshift, which we present as glSN Ia candidates. Although superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) cannot be fully rejected as contaminants, two events, ZTF19abpjicm and ZTF22aahmovu, are significantly different from typical SLSNe and their light curves can be modelled as two-image glSN Ia systems. From this two-image modelling, we estimate time delays of 22 ± 3 and 34 ± 1 days for the two events, respectively, which suggests that we have uncovered a population of glSNe Ia with longer time delays. Conclusions. The pipeline is efficient and sensitive enough to parse full alert streams. It is currently being applied to the live ZTF alert stream to identify and follow-up future candidates while active. This pipeline could be the foundation for glSNe Ia searches in future surveys, such as the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Upgrades to existing gravitational-wave observatories have the potential to simultaneously constrain the nuclear equation of state and Hubble’s constant H₀ to per cent level with merging neutron star binaries. In practice, performing simultaneous inference of H₀ and the equation of state is limited computationally by the requirement to solve the equations of general-relativistic hydrostatic equilibrium millions of times. We develop a machine-learning model to solve the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equations in less than a millisecond, and demonstrate its utility by performing direct inference of both equation of state and Hubble’s constant for synthetic neutron star merger signals with LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA operating at A+ sensitivities. We show that a population of 15 mergers observed with A+ allows for the radius of a 1.4 M_⊙ neutron star and H₀ to be constrained to km and at 90 per cent credible interval and 68 per cent credible interval, respectively. These constraints utilize only the gravitational-wave information to infer cosmological parameters; such numbers will be further improved with the addition of electromagnetic counterparts and/or galaxy catalogues.

With a small sample of fast X-ray transients (FXTs) with multiwavelength counterparts discovered to date, their progenitors and connections to γ-ray bursts (GRBs) and supernovae (SNe) remain ambiguous. Here, we present photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2025kg, the SN counterpart to the FXT EP 250108a. At z = 0.17641, this is the closest known SN discovered following an Einstein Probe (EP) FXT. We show that SN 2025kg’s optical spectra reveal the hallmark features of a broad-lined Type Ic SN. Its light-curve evolution and expansion velocities are comparable to those of GRB-SNe, including SN 1998bw, and two past FXT-SNe. We present JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy taken around SN 2025kg’s maximum light, and find weak absorption due to He I 1.0830 μm and 2.0581 μm and a broad, unidentified emission feature at ∼4-4.5 μm. Further, we observe broadened Hα in optical data at 42.5 days that is not detected at other epochs, indicating interaction with H-rich material. From its light curve, we derive a 56Ni mass of 0.2-0.6 M⊙. Together with our companion Letter, our broadband data are consistent with a trapped or low-energy (≲1051 erg) jet-driven explosion from a collapsar with a zero-age main-sequence mass of 15-30 M⊙. Finally, we show that the sample of EP FXT-SNe supports past estimates that low-luminosity jets seen through FXTs are more common than successful (GRB) jets, and that similar FXT-like signatures are likely present in at least a few percent of the brightest Type Ic-BL SNe.

We present multiband observations and analysis of EP240801a, a low-energy, extremely soft gamma-ray burst (GRB) discovered on 2024 August 1 by the Einstein Probe (EP) satellite with a weak contemporaneous signal also detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). Optical spectroscopy of the afterglow, obtained by Gran Telescopio Canarias and Keck, identified the redshift of z = 1.6734. EP240801a exhibits a burst duration of 148 s in X-rays and 22.3 s in gamma rays, with X-rays leading by 80.61 s. Spectral lag analysis indicates that the gamma-ray signal arrived 8.3 s earlier than the X-rays. Joint spectral fitting of EP Wide-field X-ray Telescope and Fermi/GBM data yields an isotropic energy E γ , iso = ( 5.5 7 − 0.50 + 0.54 ) × 1 0 51 erg , a peak energy E peak = 14.9 0 − 4.71 + 7.08 keV , and a fluence ratio S(25-50 keV)/S ( 50 - 100 keV ) = 1.6 7 − 0.46 + 0.74 , classifying EP240801a as an X-ray flash (XRF). The host-galaxy continuum spectrum, inferred using Prospector, was used to correct its contribution for the observed outburst optical data. Unusual early R-band behavior and EP Follow-up X-ray Telescope observations suggest multiple components in the afterglow. Three models are considered: a two-component jet model, a forward-reverse shock model, and a forward shock model with energy injection. All three provide reasonable explanations. The two-component jet model and the energy injection model imply a relatively small initial energy and velocity of the jet in the line of sight, while the forward-reverse shock model remains typical. Under the two-component jet model, EP240801a may resemble GRB 221009A (BOAT) if the bright narrow beam is viewed on-axis. Therefore, EP240801a can be interpreted as an off-beam (narrow) jet or an intrinsically weak GRB jet. Our findings provide crucial clues for uncovering the origin of XRFs.

We present optical, radio, and X-ray observations of EP250108a/SN 2025kg, a broad-line Type Ic supernova (SN Ic-BL) accompanying an Einstein Probe (EP) fast X-ray transient at z = 0.176. EP250108a/SN 2025kg possesses a double-peaked optical light curve, and its spectrum transitions from a blue underlying continuum to a typical SN Ic-BL spectrum over time. We fit a radioactive decay model to the second peak of the optical light curve and find SN parameters that are consistent with the SN Ic-BL population, while its X-ray and radio properties are consistent with those of low-luminosity GRB (LLGRB) 060218/SN 2006aj. We explore three scenarios to understand the system’s multiwavelength emission: (a) SN ejecta interacting with an extended circumstellar medium (CSM), (b) the shocked cocoon of a collapsar-driven jet choked in its stellar envelope, and (c) the shocked cocoon of a collapsar-driven jet choked in an extended CSM. Models (b) and (c) can explain the optical light curve and are also consistent with the radio and X-ray observations. We favor model (c) because it can self-consistently explain both the X-ray prompt emission and first optical peak, but we do not rule out model (b). From the properties of the first peak in model (c), we find evidence that EP250108a/SN 2025kg interacts with an extended CSM and infer an envelope mass M_e ∼ 0.1 M_⊙ and radius R_e ∼ 4 × 10¹³ cm. EP250108a/SN 2025kg’s multiwavelength properties make it a close analog to LLGRB 060218/SN 2006aj and highlight the power of early follow-up observations in mapping the environments of massive stars prior to core collapse.