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Abstract:
We propose a new self-consistent hydrodynamical model for description of ultra-short flares of
TeV blazars by compact magnetized condensations (blobs) produced when red giant stars cross
the jet close to the central black hole. Our study includes a hydrodynamical treatment of evolution
of the envelope lost by the star in the jet, and its high energy nonthermal emission through different
leptonic and hadronic radiation mechanisms. We show that the fragmented envelope of the
star can be accelerated to Lorentz factors up to 100 and radiate effectively the available energy in
gamma-rays predominantly through proton synchrotron radiation. The model can readily explain
the minute-scale TeV flares on top of longer (typical time-scales of days) gamma-ray variability
as observed from the blazar PKS 2155−304, and constrain the key parameters of sources such as
the mass of the central black hole M_BH ≈ 10^8M\sun, the total jet power L_j ≈ 1.7×10^47 erg=s and
the Doppler factor of the gamma-ray emitting blobs δ ≥ 50.
