paper

External Inverse-Compton and Proton Synchrotron Emission from the Reverse Shock as the Origin of VHE Gamma-Rays from the Hyper-Bright GRB 221009A

arXiv:2211.05754 · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/acc79f

Abstract

The detection of the hyper-bright gamma-ray burst (GRB) 221009A enables us to explore the nature of GRB emission and the origin of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays. We analyze the -LAT data and investigate GeV-TeV emission in the framework of the external reverse shock model. We show that early GeV emission can be explained by the external inverse-Compton mechanism via upscattering MeV gamma-rays by electrons accelerated at the reverse shock, in addition to the synchrotron self-Compton component. The predicted early optical flux could have been brighter than the naked-eye GRB 080319B. We also show that proton synchrotron emission from accelerated ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) is detectable, and could potentially explain photons detected by LHAASO or UHECR acceleration can be constrained. Our model suggests that the detection of photons with energy up to TeV is possible for reasonable models of the extragalactic background light without invoking new physics, and predicts anti-correlations between MeV photons and TeV photons, which can be tested with the LHAASO data.

arXiv comment9 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL. Results and figures are updated, and the main conclusions remain unchanged

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