Eur. Phys. J. C (2015) 75: 52
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-015-3286-z

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Hadronic origin of the TeV flare of M87 in April 2010

¹ Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, C.U., A., Postal 70-543, 04510, Mexico, DF, Mexico
² Facultad de Física e Inteligencia Artificial, Universidad Veracruzana, Sebastián Camacho # 5, C. P. 91000, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

^* e-mail: sarira@nucleares.unam.mx

Received: 18 August 2014
Accepted: 23 January 2015
Published online: 4 February 2015

Abstract

M87 is a giant radio galaxy with FR-I morphology. It underwent three episodes of TeV flaring in recent years with the strongest one in April 2010 which was jointly monitored by MAGIC, VERITAS and H.E.S.S. We explain its spectral energy distribution in the energy range 0.3–5 TeV by assuming that the flaring occurs in the innermost region of the jet. In this region the low energy SSC photons serve as the target for the Fermi-accelerated high energy protons of energy  TeV to form a delta resonance. The TeV photons are produced from the subsequent decay of the delta resonance to neutral pions. In this scenario the observed TeV flux of April 2010 flare is fitted very well.