Fast TeV variability from misaligned minijets in the jet of M87

The jet of the radio galaxy M87 is misaligned, resulting in a Doppler factor δ~1 for emission of plasma moving parallel to the jet. This makes the observed fast TeV flares on time-scales of t v ~ 5 R g /c harder to understand as emission from the jet. In previous work, we have proposed a jets-in-a-jet model for the ultrafast TeV flares with t v « R g /c seen in Mrk 501 and PKS 2155-304. Here, we show that about half of the minijets beam their emission outside the jet cone. Minijets emitting off the jet axis result in rapidly evolving TeV (and maybe lower energy) flares that can be observed in nearby radio galaxies. The TeV flaring from M87 fits well into this picture, if M87 is a misaligned blazar.

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