• 1 March 2007
Abstract
The afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been commonly assumed to be due to shocks sweeping up circum-stellar medium. However, most of them have been found to be hosting in dense star-forming regions where a significant fraction of the prompt X-ray emission can be scattered by dust grains. Here we revisit the behaviors of X-ray dust-scattering in GRBs. We find that the features of some X-ray afterglows about minutes to days after the gamma-ray triggers are consistent with scattering of prompt X-ray emission from GRBs off host dust grains. This implies that some of the observed X-ray afterglows (especially those without sharp rising and decaying flares) could be understood in this dust-scattering-driven emission model.

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