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External Shocks, UHECRs, and the Early Afterglow of GRBs

Charles D. Dermer

astro-pharXiv:astro-ph/0611194

Abstract

Highly variable gamma-ray pulses and X-ray flares in GRB light curves can result from external shocks rather than central engine activity under the assumption that the GRB blast-wave shell does not spread. Acceleration of cosmic rays to 1020 eV energies can take place in the external shocks of GRBs. Escape of hadronic energy in the form of UHECRs leads to a rapidly decelerating GRB blast wave, which may account for the rapid X-ray declines observed in Swift GRBs.

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