Observations of AGN at very-high energy gamma rays with the H.E.S.S. telescopes

At the high-energy end of their electromagnetic spectra, the emission of AGNs is based on non-thermal particle acceleration processes. Ground-based Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, like the H.E.S.S. array of gamma-ray telescopes, offer excellent sensitivity at E>100 GeV, a superb time resolution, and in combination with multi-wavelength instruments, represent powerful tools for investigating the particle accelerators within AGN. In the past decade, non-thermal emission from relativistic jets in numerous blazars and radio galaxies could be investigated. The gamma-rays are likely due to Compton scattering of lower energy photons, either from within the jet or from the surrounding gas. The physical properties of the jet and the way in which it is produced are still largely a unknown, but are probably related in some way to accretion onto a central supermassive black hole. In the presentation, we will discuss H.E.S.S. results of observations of AGN, both highlighting substantial new lessons learned at the high energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum and in multi wavelength contexts.