VLT Spectropolarimetry of Broad Absorption Line QSOs

Abstract

We present spectropolarimetry of 19 confirmed and 4 possible bright, southern broad absorption line (BAL) quasars from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT). A wide range of redshifts is covered in the sample (from 0.9 to 3.4), and both low- and hi-ionization quasars are represented, as well as radio-loud and radio-quiet BALQSOs. We continue to confirm previously established spectropolarimetric properties of BALQSOs, including the generally rising continuum polarization with shorter wavelengths and comparatively large fraction with high broad-band polarization (6 of 19 with polarizations >2%). Emission lines are polarized less than or similar to the continuum, except in a few unusual cases, and absorption troughs tend to have higher polarizations. A search for correlations between polarization properties has been done, identifying 2 significant or marginally significant correlations. These are an increase in continuum polarization with decreasing optical luminosity (increasing absolute B magnitude) and decreasing \ion{C}{4} emission-line polarization with increased continuum polarization.

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

References in corpus (6)

• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Three Year Results: Implications for Cosmology
• The Intrinsic Fraction of Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• The Physical Nature of Polar Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Radio spectra and polarisation properties of radio-loud Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Spectropolarimetry of PKS 0040-005 and the Orientation of Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Spectropolarimetry of Radio-Selected Broad Absorption Line Quasars

Cited by in corpus (10)

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• Probing the time variability of five Fe low broad absorption line quasars
• The Physical Properties of Low Redshift FeLoBAL Quasars. I. Spectral Synthesis Analysis of the BAL Outflows using $SimBAL$
• Broad Absorption Line Variability in Radio-Loud Quasars
• The Binary Black Hole Model for Mrk 231 Bites the Dust
• Rest-frame optical properties of luminous, radio-selected, broad absorption line quasars
• The rest-frame ultraviolet properties of radio-loud broad absorption line quasars
• Broad-band spectral energy distribution of 3000 Angstroem break quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The orientation and polarization of broad absorption line quasars
• Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet BAL Quasars: A Detailed Ultraviolet Comparison