The flat decay phase in the early X-ray afterglows of Swift GRBs

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Abstract

Many Swift GRBs show an early phase of shallow decay in their X-ray afterglows, lasting from t ∼ 102.5 s to ∼ 104 s after the GRB, where the flux decays as ∼ t-0.2 - t -0.8. This is perhaps the most mysterious of the new features discovered by Swift in the early X-ray afterglow, since it is still not clear what causes it. I discuss different possible explanations for this surprising new discovery, as well as their potential implications for the gamma-ray efficiency, the afterglow kinetic energy, and perhaps even for the physics of collisionless relativistic shocks.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1073-1079
Number of pages7
JournalNuovo Cimento della Societa Italiana di Fisica B
Volume121
Issue number10-11
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2006
Externally publishedYes

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