On the X-Ray emission of Gamma Ray Bursts

Recent data gathered and triggered by the SWIFT satellite have greatly improved our knowledge of long-duration gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and X-ray flashes (XRFs). This is particularly the case for the X-ray data at all times. We show that the entire X-ray observations are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the cannonball' model of GRBs and XRFs, which are based on simple physics and were published long before the launch of SWIFT. Two mechanisms underlie these predictions: inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron radiation, generally dominant at early and late times, respectively. The former mechanism provides a unified description of the gamma-ray peaks, X-ray flares and even the optical humps’ seen in some favourable cases; i.e. their very different durations, fluxes and peak-times are related precisely as predicted. The observed smooth or bumpy fast decay of the X-ray light curve is correctly described case-by-case, in minute detail. The `canonical’ X-ray plateau, as well as the subsequent gradual steepening of the afterglow to an asymptotic power-law decay, are as foretold. So are the chromatic and achromatic properties of the light-curves.