Gamma ray bursts flares detected and observed by the Swift satellite Original Research Article

The detection of flares with the Swift satellite triggered a lot of observational and theoretical interest in these phenomena. As a consequence a large analysis effort started within the community to characterize the phenomenon and at the same time a variety of theoretical speculations have been proposed to explain it. In this presentation we discuss part of the results we obtained analyzing a first statistical sample of GRBs observed with Swift. The first goal of this research is very simple: derive those observational properties that could distinguish between internal and external shock and between an ever active central engine and delayed shocks (refreshing) related to a very small initial Lorentz bulk factor. We discuss first the method of analysis and the morphology evidencing the similarities such flares have with the prompt emission pulses. We conclude that GRB flares are due to internal shocks and leave still open the question of whether or not the central engine is active for a time of the order of 105 s after the prompt emission.