Frequency and Time Dependence of Linear Polarization in Turbulent Jets of Blazars

Abstract

Time-variable polarization is an extremely valuable observational tool to probe the dynamical physical conditions of blazar jets. Since 2008, we have been monitoring the flux and linear polarization of a sample of gamma-ray bright blazars at optical frequencies. Some of the observations were performed on nightly or intra-night time-scales in four optical bands, providing information on the frequency and time dependence of the polarization. The observed behavior is similar to that found in simulations of turbulent plasma in a relativistic jet that contains a standing shock and/or a helical background magnetic field. Similar simulations predict the characteristics of X-ray synchrotron polarization of blazars that will be measured in the future by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).

2021, Special issue of Galaxies, "Polarimetry as a Probe of Magnetic Fields in AGN Jets", ed. M.F. Aller, J.L. Gomez, & E. Perlman

References in corpus (12)

• Probing the Inner Jet of the Quasar PKS 1510-089 with Multi-waveband Monitoring during Strong Gamma-ray Activity
• Kinematics of Parsec-Scale Jets of Gamma-Ray Blazars at 43~GHz within the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR Program
• Density Fluctuations in MHD Turbulence: Spectra, Intermittency and Topology
• Kinetic turbulence in relativistic plasma: from thermal bath to non-thermal continuum
• Disk-Jet Coupling in Black Hole Accretion Systems I: General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamical Models
• MOJAVE XII: Acceleration and Collimation of Blazar Jets on Parsec Scales
• Probing Acceleration and Turbulence at Relativistic Shocks in Blazar Jets
• Spectral and Intermittency Properties of Relativistic Turbulence
• Multifrequency Photo-polarimetric WEBT Observation Campaign on the Blazar S5 0716+714: Source Microvariability and Search for Characteristic Timescales
• Universality and intermittency in relativistic turbulent flows of a hot plasma
• Comprehensive Monitoring of Gamma-ray Bright Blazars. I. Statistical Study of Optical, X-ray, and Gamma-ray Spectral Slopes
• Probing shock acceleration in BL Lac jets through X-ray polarimetry: the time-dependent view

Cited by in corpus (23)

• Polarized Blazar X-rays imply particle acceleration in shocks
• The X-ray Polarization View of Mrk~421 in an Average Flux State as Observed by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer
• X-ray Polarization of BL Lacertae in Outburst
• IXPE observation of PKS 2155-304 reveals the most highly polarized blazar
• Detection of X-ray Polarization from the Blazar 1ES 1959+650 with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer
• Multi-messenger characterization of Mrk 501 during historically low X-ray and $\gamma$-ray activity
• First-Principle-Integrated Study of Blazar Synchrotron Radiation and Polarization Signatures from Magnetic Turbulence
• Intra-night optical flux and polarization variability of BL~Lacertae during its 2020 $-$ 2021 high state
• Blazars at Very High Energies: Emission Modelling
• Testing particle acceleration models for BL LAC jets with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer
• The Large Array Survey Telescope -- Science Goals
• Association of the IceCube neutrinos with blazars in the CGRaBS sample
• The microvariability and wavelength dependence of polarization degree/angle of BL Lacertae in the outburst 2020 to 2021
• Multifrequency polarimetry of High-Synchrotron Peaked blazars probes the shape of their jets
• VERITAS discovery of very high energy gamma-ray emission from S3 1227+25 and multiwavelength observations
• Insights from the first flaring activity of a high-synchrotron-peaked blazar with X-ray polarization and VHE gamma rays
• Chromatic optical polarization of BL Lac: while faint and bright
• Testing particle acceleration in blazar jets with continuous high-cadence optical polarization observations
• Graviton-photon conversion in blazar jets as a probe of high-frequency gravitational waves
• X-ray polarimetry-timing
• Constraining Evolution of Magnetic Field Strength in Dissipation Region of Two BL Lac Objects
• Intraday variations of polarization vector in blazars: a key to the optical jet structure?
• Science with a large field-of-view polarization survey: The Large Array Survey Telescope Polarization Node (LAST-P)