  Observations suggest that relativistic particles play a fundamental role in
the dynamics of jets emerging from active galactic nuclei as well as in their
interaction with the intracluster medium. However, no general consensus exists
concerning the acceleration mechanism of those high energy particles. A
gravitational acceleration mechanism is here proposed, in which particles
leaving precise regions within the ergosphere of a rotating supermassive black
hole produce a highly collimated flow. These particles follow unbound geodesics
which are asymptotically parallel to the spin axis of the black hole and are
characterized by the energy $E$, the Carter constant ${\cal Q}$ and zero
angular momentum of the component $L_z$. If environmental effects are
neglected, the present model predicts at distances of about 140 kpc from the
ergosphere the presence of electrons with energies around 9.4 GeV. The present
mechanism can also accelerate protons up to the highest energies observed in
cosmic rays by the present experiments.
