Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays and Neutron-Decay Halos from Gamma Ray Bursts
arXiv:astro-ph/0103323 · doi:10.1007/10853853_71
Abstract
Simple arguments concerning power and acceleration efficiency show that ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRS) with energies >~ 10^{19} eV could originate from GRBs. Neutrons formed through photo-pion production processes in GRB blast waves leave the acceleration site and travel through intergalactic space, where they decay and inject a very energetic proton and electron component into intergalactic space. The neutron-decay protons form a component of the UHECRs, whereas the neutron-decay electrons produce optical/X-ray synchrotron and gamma radiation from Compton-scattered background radiation. A significant fraction of galaxies with GRB activity should be surrounded by neutron-decay halos of characteristic size ~ 100 kpc.
3 pages, in 2nd Rome Workshop on Gamma Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era (17-20 October 2000)