The theory of gamma-ray bursts

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Abstract
A γ‐ray burst occurs when a strongly magnetic neutron star experiences either a thermonuclear explosion in degenerate material accumulated over a long period of time or the sudden, brief, greatly super‐Eddington accretion of matter. Certain aspects of the thermonuclear model are briefly reviewed and the necessity that low‐luminosity pulsars (e.g. X‐Per) occasionally undergo nuclear runaways stressed (although X‐Per is obviously not the prototypical burster). Greatest attention is devoted to mechanisms for producing the hard spectrum of γ‐ray bursts. A leading candidate utilizes the high (parallel) temperature developed behind an accretion shock. Hard radiation is produced by inverse Compton as cyclotron photons emitted beneath the shock diffuse out. The shock itself may be a consequence of either nuclear explosion at a conjugate point or accretion and may be collisionless in nature. A new model for the production of optical flashes accompanying γ‐ray bursts is developed which relies upon the cyclotron emission of electrons at ∼108 cm (in a wind or accretion flux) pumped by Compton collisions with γ‐rays from the burst. Strong optical flashes should only come from strongly magnetic neutron stars, the optical emission should be coincident with the γ‐emission, and the optical radiation may be polarized.

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