Resolving the Structure at the Heart of BAL Quasars Through Microlensing Induced Polarisation Variability

Abstract

While amongst the most luminous objects in the universe, many details regarding the inner structure of quasars remain unknown. One such area is the mechanism promoting increased polarisation in the broad absorption line troughs of certain quasars. This study shows how microlensing can be used to differentiate between two popular models that explain such polarisation through a realistic computational analysis. By examining a statistical ensemble of correlation data between two observables (namely image brightness and polarisation of the flux coming from the quasar), it was found that through spectropolarimetric monitoring it would be possible to discern between a model with an external scattering region and a model without one.

13 pages - accepted for publication in PASA. Quality of figures reduced

References in corpus (19)

• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Three Year Results: Implications for Cosmology
• Reverberation Measurements for 17 Quasars and the Size-Mass-Luminosity Relations in Active Galactic Nuclei
• The Frequency and Radio Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Continuum and Emission-Line Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• An ultra-relativistic outflow from a neutron star accreting gas from a companion
• The FIRST Radio-Loud Broad Absorption Line QSO and Evidence for a Hidden Population of Quasars
• The Influence of Gravitational Microlensing on the Broad Emission Lines of Quasars
• Exploratory ASCA Observations of Broad Absorption Line Quasi-Stellar Objects
• Gravitational microlensing of quasar broad line regions at large optical depths
• Polarization properties of broad absorption line QSOs : new statistical clues
• Chandra Observations of the Cloverleaf Quasar H 1413+117: A Unique Laboratory for Microlensing Studies of a Lobal Quasar
• Microlensing of Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Signatures of Accretion Disks in Quasar Microlensing
• Measuring the Size of Quasar Broad-Line Clouds Through Time Delay Light-Curve Anomalies of Gravitational Lenses
• Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Gravitationally Lensed Cloverleaf Broad Absorption Line QSO H1413+1143: Imaging Polarimetry and Evidence for Microlensing of a Scattering Region
• Microlensing of Broad Absorption Line Quasars: Polarization Variability
• Broad Absorption Line Quasars and the Radio-Loud/Radio-Quiet Dichotomy
• X-rays from the Highly Polarized Broad Absorption Line QSO CSO 755
• Polarization of Quasars: Electron Scattering in the Broad Absorption Line Region

Cited by in corpus (5)

• HST and Ground-Based Spectroscopy of Quasar Outflows: From Mini-BALs to BALs
• Spectroscopy and polarimetry of the gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS J1004+4112 with the 6m SAO RAS telescope
• Polarization microlensing in the quadruply imaged broad absorption line quasar H1413+117
• Spectroscopy and polarimetry of the gravitationally lensed quasar Q0957+561
• Gravitational Microlensing as a probe of the Electron Scattering Region in Q2237+0305