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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Optical Polarization And Spectral Variability In The M87 Jet, Eric S. Perlman, Mihai Cara, Matthew Bourque, Raymond C. Simons
Optical Polarization And Spectral Variability In The M87 Jet, Eric S. Perlman, Mihai Cara, Matthew Bourque, Raymond C. Simons
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
During the last decade, M87's jet has been the site of an extraordinary variability event, with one knot (HST-1) increasing by over a factor 100 in brightness. Variability has also been seen on timescales of months in the nuclear flux. Here we discuss the optical-UV polarization and spectral variability of these components, which show vastly different behavior. HST-1 shows a highly significant correlation between flux and polarization, with P increasing from 20% at minimum to >40% at maximum, while the orientation of its electric vector stayed constant. HST-1's optical-UV spectrum is very hard (αUV-O 0.5, F ν ∞ ν-α), and …
Nicmos Polarimetry Of "Polar-Scattered" Seyfert 1 Galaxies, Daniel P. Batcheldor, Andrew Edward Robinson, David J. Axon, Stuart Young, S Quinn, James E. Smith, James H. Hough, David M. Alexander
Nicmos Polarimetry Of "Polar-Scattered" Seyfert 1 Galaxies, Daniel P. Batcheldor, Andrew Edward Robinson, David J. Axon, Stuart Young, S Quinn, James E. Smith, James H. Hough, David M. Alexander
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
The nuclei of Seyfert 1 galaxies exhibit a range of optical polarization characteristics that can be understood in terms of two scattering regions producing orthogonal polarizations: an extended polar scattering region (PSR) and a compact equatorial scattering region (ESR), located within the circum-nuclear torus. Here we present NICMOS 2.0 μm imaging polarimetry of six "polar-scattered" Seyfert 1 (S1) galaxies, in which the PSR dominates the optical polarization. The unresolved nucleus (<058) is significantly polarized in only three objects, but five of the six exhibit polarization in a 058-15 circum-nuclear annulus. In Fairall 51 and ESO 323-G077, the polarization position angle at 2 μm (θ2 μm) is consistent with the average for the optical spectrum(θv), implying that the nuclear polarization is dominated by polar scattering at both wavelengths. The same is probably true for NGC3227. In both NGC 4593 and Mrk 766, there is a large difference between θ2 μm and θv off-nucleus, where polar scattering is expected to dominate. This may be due to contamination by interstellar polarization in NGC4593, but there is no clear explanation in the case of the strongly polarized Mrk766. Lastly, in Mrk1239, a large change (60°) in θ2 μm between the nucleus and the annulus indicates that the unresolved nucleus and its immediate surroundings have different polarization states at 2μm, which we attribute to the ESR and PSR, respectively. A further implication is that the source of the scattered 2 μm emission in the unresolved nucleus is the accretion disk, rather than torus hot dust emission.
Broad Lyα Emission From Three Nearby Bl Lacertae Objects, John T. Stocke, Charles W. Danforth, Eric S. Perlman
Broad Lyα Emission From Three Nearby Bl Lacertae Objects, John T. Stocke, Charles W. Danforth, Eric S. Perlman
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
We present far-UV HST/COS spectra of four nearby BLLac objects. BLLac spectra are dominated by a smooth, power-law continuum which arises in a relativistic jet. However, the spectra are not necessarily featureless; weak, broad- and/or narrow-line emission is sometimes seen in high-quality optical spectra. We present detections of Lyα emission in HST/COS spectra of Mrk421 (z = 0.030) and PKS2005-489 (z = 0.071) as well as an archival HST/GHRS observation of Mrk501 (z = 0.0337). Archival HST/STIS observations of PKS2155-304 (z = 0.116) show no Lyα emission to a very low upper limit. Using the assumption that the broad-line region …