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SSC Emission as Explanation of The Gamma Ray Afterglow Observed in GRB 980923

GRB 980923 was one of the brightest bursts observed by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE). 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 400s, while the second is a high-energy component lasting 2s. After summarizing the observations, we present a model for this event and conclude that the tail can be understood as the early gamma-ray afterglow from forward shock synchrotron emission, while the high-energy component is described by the SSC emission from the reverse shock. The main assumption is that of a thick-shell case from highly magnetized ejecta. The calculated fluxes, break energies, starting times and spectral index are all consistent with the observed values.