High Energy Activity at the Galactic Center

Fulvio Melia (U. Arizona)

Once hidden almost completely by the intervening gas and dust
along our line-of-sight, the Milky Way's central black hole
(Sagittarius A*) first manifested itself as a radio point source,
then as a variable infrared object and, most recently, as a dynamic
emitter of X-rays. There are even indications that it may be the
dominant accelerator of relativistic protons, accounting for the
central (HESS) TeV source and, possibly, the diffuse TeV emission
associated with molecular clouds along the Galactic plane. In this
talk, we will discuss work in progress to understand what this
high-energy activity is revealing about Sagittarius A* and its
nearby environment.