2012ApJ...751...33F

GRB 980923 was one of the brightest bursts observed by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment. Previous studies have detected two distinct components in addition to the main prompt episode, which is well described by a Band function. The first of these is a tail with a duration of ≃ 400 s, while the second is a high-energy component lasting ≃ 2 s. We summarize the observations and argue for a unified model in which the tail can be understood as the early γ-ray afterglow from forward shock synchrotron emission, while the high-energy component arises from synchrotron self-Compton from the reverse shock. Consistency between the main assumption of thick shell emission and agreement between the observed and computed values for fluxes, break energies, starting times, and spectral indices leads to a requirement that the ejecta must be highly magnetized.