Very High Energy Afterglow from Gamma-ray Bursts

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  • 17 April 2007
Abstract
We present self-consistent calculations of the very high energy (sub-GeV to TeV) inverse Compton emission of GRB afterglows. We argue that this emission provides a powerful test of the currently accepted afterglow model. We focus on two processes: synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission within the afterglow blast wave, and external inverse Compton (EIC) emission which occurs when flare photons (produced by an internal process) pass through the blast wave. We show that the high energy emission can be used to distinguish between different modifications of the standard afterglow model that have been considered in view of recent Swift observations. Our predictions can be tested with high energy observatories such as GLAST, Whipple, H.E.S.S., MAGIC and Kangaroo. Under favorable conditions we expect afterglow detections in all these detectors.

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