Related papers: RoboPol: optical polarization-plane rotations and …
A high degree of linear polarization measured in the optical emission is an important observational feature of blazars. It provides strong evidence of the presence of relativistic particles and magnetic field ordering in the non-thermal…
We investigate the temporal variability of polarization of synchrotron radiation from blazar jets. Multiwavelength observations revealed high-amplitude rotations of the electric vector position angle (EVPA), both in the optical and in the…
We describe a geometric model for synchrotron radiation from blazar jets, involving multiple emission zones with turbulent magnetic fields and a transient core with a helical B field. Including the effects of jet divergence, particle…
Over the past few years, several occasions of large, continuous rotations of the electric vector position angle (EVPA) of linearly polarized optical emission from blazars have been reported. These events are often coincident with high…
We present a model of blazar variability that can both reproduce smooth large polarization angle swings, and at the same time allow for the seemingly random behaviour of synchrotron fluxes, polarization fraction and, occasionally, $\pi$/2…
We report on the correlation between the flux, color and polarization variations on time scales of days--months in blazars, and discuss their universal aspects. We performed monitoring of 42 blazars in the optical and near-infrared bands…
Variability can be the pathway to understanding the physical processes in astrophysical jets, however, the high-cadence observations required to test particle acceleration models are still missing. Here we report on the first attempt to…
For a sample of 51 blazars with extensive optical polarization data, we used circular statistics to calculate the scatter among the polarization position angles for each object. We found that this scatter is correlated with the radio core…
We present an analysis of the cross-correlation between optical brightness and polarization degree in different types of blazars. The aim is to identify objects with simultaneous and consistent changes in characteristics and to determine if…
Gamma-ray emitting blazars have been the targets of many recent or ongoing monitoring programmes. The resulting multi-wavelength data archives are ideal for studying the quiescent and variable behaviour of the blazar PKS 2155-304. Here,…
Polarized radiation from blazars is one key piece of evidence for synchrotron radiation at low energy, which also shows variations. We present here our results on the correlation analysis between optical flux and polarization degree (PD)…
Blazars are jetted active galactic nuclei, with the jet aligned along the observer's line of sight. Their spectral energy distributions are dominated by non-thermal emission, with an underlying thermal component at optical/ultraviolet…
An $R$--band photopolarimetric variability analysis of the TeV bright blazar W Comae, between 2008 February 28 and 2013 May 17, is presented. The source showed a gradual tendency to decrease its mean flux level with a total change of…
We investigate the optical polarization properties of high-energy BL Lac objects using data from the RoboPol blazar monitoring program and the Nordic Optical Telescope. We wish to understand if there are differences in the BL Lac objects…
Optical polarimeters are typically calibrated using measurements of stars with known and stable polarization parameters. However, there is a lack of such stars available across the sky. Many of the currently available standards are not…
In this paper, we explore the behavior of optical polarization during the multi-wavelength outburst of the blazar Mrk 421 detected in February 2010. We use optical polarization measurements in the wavelength range 500-700 nm from SPOL…
Due to the first results on astrophysical X-ray polarization provided by \textit{IXPE} observatory, the interest in wavelength-dependent synchrotron polarization of BL Lac type objects increases. This paper presents the results of…
We present optical photo-polarimetric observations with high temporal resolution of the blazar AO 0235+164. Our data, the first to test the photo-polarimetric behaviour of this object at very short time-scales, show significant…
We present an overview of new HST imaging polarimetry of six nearby radio galaxies with optical jets. These observations triple the number of extragalactic jets with subarcsecond-resolution optical polarimetry. We discuss the polarization…
The optical polarization plane of some blazars occasionally exhibits smooth hundred degree long rotations. Multiple theoretical models have been proposed to explain the nature of such events. A deterministic origin of these rotations,…