A NEW CORRELATION BETWEEN GRB X-RAY FLARES AND THE PROMPT EMISSION

From a sample of GRBs detected by the Fermi and Swift missions, we have extracted the minimum variability time scales for temporal structures in the light curves associated with the prompt emission and X-ray flares. A comparison of this variability time scale with pulse parameters such as rise times,determined via pulse-fitting procedures, and spectral lags, extracted via the cross-correlation function (CCF), indicate a tight correlation between these temporal features for both the X-ray flares and the prompt emission. These correlations suggests a common origin for the production of X-ray flares and the prompt emission in GRBs.