The Afterglow of GRBs

Abstract

Models where relativistic jets from merger or accretion induced collapse in compact binary systems produce cosmological gamma ray bursts (GRBs) also predict that GRBs are accompanied by delayed emission of high energy photons, TeV neutrinos, X-rays, optical photons and radio waves. Their emission mechanisms are similar to those responsible for their emissions by blazars during gamma ray flares. The recently observed afterglow of GRB 970228 in X-rays and optical photons is well accounted by such models. In particular, the predicted power-law spectrum, time delay which is inversely proportional to frequency and a power-law decay with time which is energy independent, are all in excellent agreement with the observations.