Contribution
Centaurus A: Some Core Physics
Presenter: Geoffrey Bicknell (Australian National University)
Abstract: In recent years our observational knowledge of several important components of the central region of Centaurus A has increased dramatically: high resolution X-ray observations have revealed unprecedented detail in the jet and surrounding atmosphere; a kpc sized bipolar shell has been detected in the mid-IR; γ-rays have been detected in the GeV domain by Fermi and in the TeV domain by HESS. In this talk I shall attempt to relate the relevant physics for these observations through consideration of the gravitational power released by the black hole, the likely flux of ionising radiation from the black hole accretion disk, the location of the γ-ray emission and the implications of a power-law spectrum extending from MeV to TeV energies. The inference of extended particle acceleration regions in the jet will also be considered together with the implications of these observations for the modelling of jet high energy emission in general.