Limits from rapid TeV variability of Mrk 421

The extreme variability event in the TeV emission of Mrk 421, recently reported by the Whipple team, imposes the tightest limits on the typical size of the TeV emitting regions in active galactic nuclei (AGN). We examine the consequences that this imposes on the bulk Lorentz factor of the emitting plasma and on the radiation fields present in the central region of this active nucleus. No strong evidence is found for extreme Lorentz factors. However, energetics arguments suggest that any accretion in Mrk 421 has to take place at low rates, compatible with an advection-dominated regime.