X-ray Analysis of Gamma-Ray Burst Flares and Underlying Afterglows: Insights into Origin of Flares
An analysis of X-ray flares in Gamma-Ray Bursts during their afterglow phase reveals that these spikes are asymmetric, with decay times five times longer than rise times. This suggests accretion instabilities in a disk rather than geometric effects, supporting the low Lorentz factor model over energy injection.