The supercritical pile model for GRBs

We present the basic notions of the "Supercritical Pile" model of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). This model is motivated by the need for a process that provides the dissipation necessary in GRBs and presents a well defined scheme for converting the energy stored in the relativistic protons of the Relativistic Blast Waves (RBW) associated with GRB into radiation; at the same time it leads to spectra which exhibit a peak in the burst vF(v), distribution at an energy E-p similar or equal to 1 MeV in the observer's frame, in agreement with observation and largely independent of the Lorentz factor Gamma of the associated relativistic outflow. (c) 2007 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.