Polarization offers a unique view in the physical processes of astrophysical jets. We report on optical circular polarization observations of two famous blazars, namely 3C 279 and PKS 1510-089, at high linearly polarized states. This is the first time PKS 1510-089 is observed in optical circular polarization. While only upper limits can be extracted from our observing campaign, the non-detection of optical circular polarization allows us to provide meaningful constraints on their magnetic field strength and jet composition. We find that high-energy emission models requiring high magnetic field strength and a low positron fraction can be excluded.
@article{arxiv.2110.11434,
title = {Constraints on magnetic field and particle content in blazar jets through optical circular polarization},
author = {I. Liodakis and D. Blinov and S. B. Potter and F. M. Rieger},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2110.11434},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
5 pages, 1 Table, 1 figure, accepted for publication in MNRAS letters