A change in the optical polarization associated with a γ-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279

Journal
Date Issued
2010
Author(s)
Abdo, A.A.
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Ackermann, M.
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Ajello, M.
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Axelsson, M.
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Baldini, L.
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Ballet, J.
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Barbiellini, G.
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Bastieri, D.
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Baughmanl, B.M.
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Bechtol, K.
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Bellazzini, R.
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Berenji, B.
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Blandford, R.D.
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Bloom, E.D.
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Bock, D.C.-J.
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Bogart, J.R.
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Bonamente, E.
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Borgland, A.W.
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Bouvier, A.
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Bregeon, J.
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Brez, A.
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Brigida, M.
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Bruel, P.
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Burnett, T.H.
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Buson, S.
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Caliandro, G.A.
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Cameron, R.A.
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Caraveo, P.A.
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Casandjian, J.M.
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Cavazzuti, E.
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Cecchi, C.
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Çelik, Ö.
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Chekhtman, A.
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Cheung, C.C.
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Chiang, J.
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Ciprini, S.
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Claus, R.
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Cohen-Tanugi, J.
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Collmar, W.
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Cominsky, L.R.
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Conrad, J.
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Corbel, S.
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Corbet, R.
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Costamante, L.
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Cutini, S.
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Dermer, C.D.
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De Angelis, A.
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De Palma, F.
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Digel, S.W.
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Do Couto E Silva, E.
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Drell, P.S.
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Dubois, R.
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Dumora, D.
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Farnier, C.
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Favuzzi, C.
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Fegan, S.J.
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Ferrara, E.C.
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Focke, W.B.
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Fortin, P.
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Fuhrmann, L.
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Fukazawa, Y.
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Funk, S.
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Fusco, P.
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Gargano, F.
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Gasparrini, D.
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Gehrels, N.
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Germani, S.
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Giebels, B.
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Giglietto, N.
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Giommi, P.
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Giordano, F.
•
•
Glanzman, T.
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Godfrey, G.
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Grenier, I.A.
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Grove, J.E.
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Guillemot, L.
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Guiriec, S.
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Hanabata, Y.
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Harding, A.K.
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Hayashida, M.
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Hays, E.
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Horan, D.
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Hughes, R.E.
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Itoh, R.
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Jackson, M.S.
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Jóhannesson, G.
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Johnson, A.S.
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Johnson, W.N.
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Kadler, M.
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Kamae, T.
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Katagiri, H.
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Kataoka, J.
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Kawai, N.
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Kerr, M.
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Knödlseder, J.
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Kocian, M.L.
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Kuss, M.
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Lande, J.
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Larsson, S.
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Latronico, L.
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Lemoine-Goumard, M.
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Longo, F.
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Loparco, F.
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Lott, B.
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Lovellette, M.N.
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Lubrano, P.
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MacQuart, J.
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Madejski, G.M.
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Makeev, A.
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Max-Moerbeck, W.
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Mazziotta, M.N.
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McConville, W.
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McEnery, J.E.
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McGlynn, S.
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Meurer, C.
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Michelson, P.F.
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Mitthumsiri, W.
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Mizuno, T.
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Moiseev, A.A.
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Monte, C.
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Monzani, M.E.
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Morselli, A.
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Moskalenko, I.V.
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Murgia, S.
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Nestoras, I.
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Nolan, P.L.
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Norris, J.P.
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Nuss, E.
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Ohsugi, T.
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Okumura, A.
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Omodei, N.
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Orlando, E.
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Ormes, J.F.
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Paneque, D.
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Panetta, J.H.
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Parent, D.
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Pavlidou, V.
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Pearson, T.J.
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Pelassa, V.
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Pesce-Rollins, M.
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Piron, F.
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Porter, T.A.
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Rainò, S.
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Rando, R.
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Razzano, M.
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Readhead, A.
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Reimer, A.
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Reimer, O.
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Reposeur, T.
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Reyes, L.C.
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Richards, J.L.
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Rochester, L.S.
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Rodriguez, A.Y.
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Roth, M.
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Ryde, F.
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Sadrozinski, H.F.-W.
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Sanchez, D.
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Sander, A.
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Saz Parkinson, P.M.
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Scargle, J.D.
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Sgrò, C.
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Shaw, M.S.
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Shrader, C.
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Siskind, E.J.
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Smith, D.A.
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Smith, P.D.
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Spandre, G.
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Spinelli, P.
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Stawarz, L.
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Stevenson, M.
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Strickman, M.S.
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Suson, D.J.
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Tajima, H.
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Takahashi, H.
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Takahashi, T.
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Tanaka, T.
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Taylor, G.B.
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Thayer, J.B.
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Thayer, J.G.
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Thompson, D.J.
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Tibaldo, L.
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Torres, D.F.
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Tosti, G.
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Tramacere, A.
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Uchiyama, Y.
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Usher, T.L.
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Vasileiou, V.
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Vilchez, N.
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Vitale, V.
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Waite, A.P.
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Wang, P.
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Wehrle, A.E.
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Winer, B.L.
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Wood, K.S.
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Ylinen, T.
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Zensus, J.A.
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Ziegler, M.
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Uemura, M.
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Ikejiri, Y.
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Kawabata, K.S.
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Kino, M.
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Sakimoto, K.
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Sasada, M.
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Sato, S.
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Yamanaka, M.
•
•
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Agudo, I.
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Aller, H.D.
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Aller, M.F.
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Angelakis, E.
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Arkharov, A.A.
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Bach, U.
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Bený́tez, E.
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Berdyugin, A.
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Blinov, D.A.
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Boettcher, M.
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Chen, W.P.
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Dultzin, D.
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Efimova, N.V.
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Gurwell, M.A.
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Gusbar, C.
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Gómez, J.L.
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Heidt, J.
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Hiriart, D.
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Hovatta, T.
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Jorstad, S.G.
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Konstantinova, T.S.
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Kopatskaya, E.N.
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Koptelova, E.
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Kurtanidze, O.M.
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Lahteenmaki, A.
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Larionov, V.M.
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Larionova, E.G.
•
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Lin, H.C.
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Lindfors, E.
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Marscher, A.P.
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McHardy, I.M.
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Melnichuk, D.A.
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Mommert, M.
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Nilsson, K.
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Reinthal, R.
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Richter, G.M.
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Roca-Sogorb, M.
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Roustazadeh, P.
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Sigua, L.A.
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Takalo, L.O.
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Tornikoski, M.
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Troitsky, I.S.
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Villforth, C.
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Grainge, K.
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Moderski, R.
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Nalewajko, K.
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Sikora, M.
DOI
Abstract
It is widely accepted that strong and variable radiation detected over all accessible energy bands in a number of active galaxies arises from a relativistic, Doppler-boosted jet pointing close to our line of sight. The size of the emitting zone and the location of this region relative to the central supermassive black hole are, however, poorly known, with estimates ranging from light-hours to a light-year or more. Here we report the coincidence of a gamma-ray flare with a dramatic change of optical polarization angle. This provides evidence for co-spatiality of optical and gamma-ray emission regions and indicates a highly ordered jet magnetic field. The results also require a non-axisymmetric structure of the emission zone, implying a curved trajectory for the emitting material within the jet, with the dissipation region located at a considerable distance from the black hole, at about 10^5 gravitational radii.
Volume
463
Issue
7283
Start page
919-923
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0028-0836
Ads BibCode
2010Natur.463..919A
Rights
open.access
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