Misalignment of the Jet and the Normal to the Dusty Torus in the Broad Absorption Line QSO FIRST\,J155633.8+351758

Abstract

We performed VLBA observations of the Broad Absorption Line Quasar FIRST\,J155633.8+351758, "the first radio loud BALQSO". Our observations at 15.3 GHz partially resolved a secondary component at positional angle (PA) $\approx 35^{\circ }$. We combine this determination of the radio jet projection on the sky plane, with the constraint that the jet is viewed within $14.3^{\circ }$ of the line of sight (as implied by the high variability brightness temperature) and with the position angle (PA) of the optical/UV continuum polarization in order to study the quasar geometry. Within the context of the standard model, the data indicates a "dusty torus" (scattering surface) with a symmetry axis tilted relative to the accretion disk normal and a polar broad absorption line outflow aligned with the accretion disk normal. We compare this geometry to that indicated by the higher resolution radio data, brightness temperature and optical/UV continuum polarization PA of a similar high optical polarization BALQSO, Mrk\,231. A qualitatively similar geometry is found in these two polar BALQSOs; the continuum polarization is determined primarily by the tilt of the dusty torus.

To appear in ApJ Letters

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• SDSS J211852.96-073227.5: The first non-local, interacting, late-type intermediate Seyfert galaxy with relativistic jets
• The Relativistic Jet-Accretion Flow-Wind Connection in Mrk\,231
• A VLBI survey of compact broad absorption line quasars with balnicity index BI>0
• A VLBI survey of compact Broad Absorption Lines (BAL) quasars with BALnicity Index BI=0
• Estimating the Jet Power of Mrk\,231 During the 2017-2018 Flare
• The X-ray Spectrum and Spectral Energy Distribution of FIRST J155633.8+351758: a LoBAL Quasar with a Probable Polar Outflow
• A Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope Survey of Radio-loud Broad Absorption Line Quasars