Optical EVPA rotations in blazars: testing a stochastic variability model with RoboPol data

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openAccess
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Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2017-12

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Mcode

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Language

en

Pages

16

Series

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 472, issue 3, pp. 3589-3604

Abstract

We identify rotations of the polarization angle in a sample of blazars observed for three seasons with the RoboPol instrument. A simplistic stochastic variability model is tested against this sample of rotation events. The model is capable of producing samples of rotations with parameters similar to the observed ones, but fails to reproduce the polarization fraction at the same time. Even though we can neither accept nor conclusively reject the model, we point out various aspects of the observations that are fully consistent with a random walk process.

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Keywords

polarization, galaxies: active, galaxies: jets, galaxies: nuclei, COMPACT RADIO-SOURCES, GAMMA-RAY-LOUD, POLARIZATION-PLANE, INNER JET, REGIONS, SWINGS, OJ-287, ANGLE

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Citation

Kiehlmann, S, Blinov, D, Pearson, T J & Liodakis, I 2017, 'Optical EVPA rotations in blazars : testing a stochastic variability model with RoboPol data', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 472, no. 3, pp. 3589-3604. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx2167