TeV gamma-rays from UHECR interactions in AGN cores: Lessons from Centaurus A

Abstract

TeV gamma-rays have been observed from blazars as well as from radio galaxies like M87 and Cen A. In leptonic models, gamma-rays above the pair production threshold can escape from the ultra-relativistic jet, since large Lorentz factors reduce the background photon densities compared to those required for isotropic emission. Here we discuss an alternative scenario, where VHE photons are generated as secondaries from UHECR interaction in the AGN core. We show that TeV gamma-rays can escape from the core despite large IR and UV backgrounds. For the special case of Cen A, we study if the various existing observations from the far infra-red to the UHE range can be reconciled within this picture.

7 pages, 11 eps figures; v2: to appear in a special Cen A issue of PASA

References in corpus (7)

• Production of TeV gamma-radiation in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole in the giant radiogalaxy M87
• Chandra and XMM-Newton Observations of the Nucleus of Centaurus A
• High energy radiation from Centaurus A
• The Suzaku Observation of the Nucleus of the Radio-Loud Active Galaxy Centaurus A: Constraints on Abundances of the Accreting Material
• Gemini Imaging of Mid-IR Emission from the Nuclear Region of Centaurus A
• Multi-messenger astronomy with Centaurus A
• Linkage between Accretion Disks and Blazars