High energy cosmic-rays from gamma-ray burst sources: A stronger case

The suggested association between the sources of γ-ray bursts (GRB’s) and the sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR’s) is based on two arguments: (i) The constraints that UHECR sources must satisfy to allow proton acceleration to > 1020 eV are similar to those inferred for GRB sources from γ-ray observations, and (ii) The average energy generation rate of UHECR’s is similar to the γ-ray generation rate of GRB’s. We show that recent GRB and UHECR observations strengthen both arguments, and hence strengthen the suggested association. Subject headings: acceleration of particles—cosmic-rays—gamma-rays: bursts—gamma rays:theory