COSMOLOGICAL GAMMA RAY BURSTS AND THE HIGHEST ENERGY COSMIC RAYS

We discuss a scenario in which the highest energy cosmic rays (CR’s) and cosmological $\gamma$-ray bursts (GRB’s) have a common origin. This scenario is consistent with the observed CR flux above ${10}^{20}\text{eV}$, provided that each burst produces similar energies in $\gamma$-rays and in CR’s above ${10}^{20}\text{eV}$. Protons may be accelerated by Fermi’s mechanism to energies $\sim {10}^{20}\text{eV}$ in a dissipative, ultra-relativistic wind, with luminosity and Lorentz factor high enough to produce a GRB. For a homogeneous GRB distribution, this scenario predicts an isotropic, time-independent CR flux.