1000 Days of the Lowest-frequency Emission from the Low-luminosity GRB 171205A

Abstract

We report the lowest-frequency measurements of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 171205A with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) covering a frequency range of 250–1450 MHz and a period of 4–937 days. It is the first GRB afterglow detected in the 250–500 MHz frequency range and the second brightest GRB detected with the uGMRT. Even though the GRB was observed for nearly 1000 days, there is no evidence of a transition to a nonrelativistic regime. We also analyzed the archival Chandra X-ray data on day ∼70 and day ∼200. We also found no evidence of a jet break from the analysis of combined data. We fit synchrotron afterglow emission arising from a relativistic, isotropic, self-similar deceleration as well as from a shock breakout of a wide-angle cocoon. Our data also allowed us to discern the nature and the density of the circumburst medium. We found that the density profile deviates from a standard constant density medium and suggests that the GRB exploded in a stratified wind-like medium. Our analysis shows that the lowest-frequency measurements covering the absorbed part of the light curves are critical to unraveling the GRB environment. Our data combined with other published measurements indicate that the radio afterglow has a contribution from two components: a weak, possibly slightly off-axis jet and a surrounding wider cocoon, consistent with the results of Izzo et al. The cocoon emission likely dominates at early epochs, whereas the jet starts to dominate at later epochs, resulting in flatter radio light curves.