M87 as a Misaligned Synchrotron-Proton Blazar

Abstract

In the framework of the unified model for radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) the Fanaroff-Riley (FR) class 1 radio galaxy M87 is a misaligned blazar of BL Lac type. Its unresolved nuclear region is a strong non-thermal emitter of radio to X-ray photons that have been interpreted as synchrotron radiation. The recent detection of TeV-photons by the HEGRA-telescope array, if confirmed, would make it the first radio galaxy detected at TeV-energies. We discuss the emission from the core region of M87 in the context of the hadronic SynchrotronProton Blazar (SPB) model, and place constraints on the model's parameter space consistent with this HEGRA-detection. model fits to M87's non-simultanous spectral energy distribution (SED) predict the peak power of the γ -ray component at ˜100 GeV at a level comparative to the low-energy hump. This makes M87 a promising target for e.g. H.E.S.S., VERITAS and MAGIC